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NEW-YORK: 

PAST,  PRESENT,  AND  FrTUEE; 


COMPRISING    A 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  AEW-YORK, 


ADESCRIPTIONOF  ITS  PRESENT  CONDITION. 


AND 

AN  ESTIMATE  OF  ITS  FUTURE   INCREASE. 


BY  E.  PORTOR  BELDEN,  M.  A., 

PROJECTOR    OF    THE    MODEL    OF    NEW-YORK. 


SECOND  EDITION. 


NEW-YORK: 

GEORGE  P.  PUTNAM,  155  BROADWAY. 
1849. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  jear  1849,  by 

O    P.  PUTNAM, 

in  the  Clerk's  Oflice  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District  of  New-York, 


J.  P.  Pkall,  Printt-r  Si.  Stovpotvpor,  K.  N.  nroRSMAN.  Prinfrr. 

9  bpruco-st.  N.  Y.  No.  VZ  ^<llruc■«.••^l.  ^.  Y 


TO 

ALBERT    GALLATIN,    LL.D., 

PRESIDENT    OF    TliE     NEW- YORK    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY, 

ESTEEMED    FOH    HIS    NUMEROUS 

POLITICAL,  SCIENTIFIC,  AND  LITERARY  SERVICES 

TO    HIS    ADOPTED    COUNTRY, 

AND  BELOVED  BY  ALL  WHO  KNOW  HIM 

FOR    THE 

VIRTUES  AND  QUALITIES 

THAT      ADORN      HIS      PRIVATE      LIFE, 
AS    A    TIUBUTE    OF    THE 

author's      REGARD, 
THIS     VOLUME     IS     BY     P  E  R  .^^11  S  S  I  O  N 

INSCRIBED. 


PEEFACE. 


In  the  construction  of  the  Model  of  New- York,  a  vast  number  of 
statistical  details  were  collected,  some  of  which  varied  exceedingly  from 
statements  in  print,  but  most  of  whicli  had  never  been  given  to  the  public. 
The  attention  of  the  author  was  thus  directed  to  the  subject.  On  investi- 
gation it  appeared  that  no  history  of  the  city  had  ever  been  published, 
and  that  no  accurate  descriptive  work  had  been  issued  during  the  last 
twenty  years.  Tiie  contents  of  the  ordinary  guide-books  proved  to  be  in 
great  part  plagiarized  from  gazetteers  and  other  works  not  professing  the 
accuracy  of  local  manuals,  and,  where  original,  to  be  grossly  erroneous. 
A  desire  to  present  truth  to  the  public,  has  led  to  the  preparation  of  the 
present  work.  In  the  prosecution  of  the  object,  no  statement  has  been 
made  that  is  not  drawn  from  original  sources,  and  no  statistical  informa- 
tion given  that  is  not  based  upon  the  official  papers  of  the  city  or  the  most 
authentic  personal  communications. 

Tiie  author  would  acknowledge  his  indebtedness  to  the  Corporation  of 
New- York  for  having,  by  public  act,  placed  at  his  disposal  the  records 
and  documents  of  the  city ;  to  David  T.  Valentine,  Esq.,  the  clerk  of  the 
Common  Coimcil,  Martin  E.  Thompson,  Esq.,  the  street-commissioner, 
Talman  J.  Waters,  Esq.,  late  controller,  Moses  G.  Leonard,  Esq.,  the 
Aims-House  commissioner,  and  the  otlier  municipal  officers,  for  the 
courtesy  they  have  exhibited,  and  the  pains  they  have  taken  to  collect  and 
furnish  information  connected  with  their  respective  departments;  to  J.  R. 
and  Geo.  H.  Moore,  Esqs.,the  late  and  present  librarians  of  the  New- York 
Historical  Society,  and  Edward  C.Herrick,  Esq.,  librarian  of  Yale  College, 
for  having  with  great  politeness  unclosed  tiie  treasures  of  the  invaluable 
historical  and  literary  repositories  of  wnich  they  have  the  supervision, 
and  afforded  to  him  every  possible  facility  in  prosecuting  his  researches ; 
and  to  Alfred  Terry,  Esq.,  the  town-clerk  of  New-Haven,  for  having 
thrown  open  to  his  inspection  the  records  of  the  neighbors  and  rivals  of 
New-Netherland. 

The  historical  sketch  in  the  present  issue,  is  an  epitome  of  this  portion 
of  the  work  as  it  will  appear  in  the  regular  edition  now  in  course  of  pre- 
paration. A  vast  amount  of  local  material  has  been  collected.  The 
documents  procured  in  England,  Holland,  and  France,  by  J.  R.  Brod- 
head,  Esq.,  throw  much  light  upon  the  rise  and  progress  of  New- York, 
and  will  enable  the  author  to  present  many  facts  that  have  hitherto  escaped 
notice.  And  the  services  of  any  individual  who  can  contribute  to  his 
materials,  by  communicating  a  duly  authenticated  incident,  or  by  placing 
within  his  reach  a  document,  which  elucidates  or  illustrates  any  event  or 
principle  in  the  history  of  the  metropolis,  will  be  highly  appreciated. 

New- York,  1849. 


CONTENTS. 


PART  I. 


NEW- YORK— THE  PAST. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH, 


Page. 
11 


PART  II. 

NEW-YORK— THE  PRESENT. 


CHAP.  I.— DESCRIPTION,           -  27 

Surrounding  Waters.          -  28 

Surface  of  the  Islana,         -  28 

Streets,         -            -            -  28 

Pavements,  -            -            -  30 

Public  Grounds,    j  -            -  31 

Battery,     -            -           -  31 

Bowling  Green,               -  32 

City  Park,    -        -            -  32 

Hudson,  Washington,  and 

Tompkins  Squares,      -  33 

Union  Place,        -           -  33 

Gramercy  Park,  -            -  33 

Hamilton  Square,    -         .  34 

Table  of  Public  Grounds,  34 

Table  of  Distances,             -  35 

Croton  Water  Works,        -  36 

New-York  Gas  Works,      -  42 

Manhattan  Gas  Works,      -  43 

Sewers.        -            -            -  43 

CHAP.  II.— POPULATION,          -  44 

CHAP.  III.— GOVERNMENT,      -  46 

Buildings  of  (^ity  Government,  47 

City  Hall,              -            -  47 

Hall  of  Records,     -        -  47 

New  City  Hall,  -             -  47 

Police  Department,             -  47 

Station  Houses,                 -  48 

Day  Stations  of  Policemen,  48 

Halls  of  Justice,      -        -  49 

Regulations  of  Carriages,  60 

"          "  Porterage,  61 

"        "  Cartage,  61 

Omnibuses,          -           -  62 

1* 


Markets,  -  -  64 

Aims-House  Department,  64 

Fire  Department,  -  6d 

Military  Department,  67 

Health  Department,   -        -  68 

CHAP.  IV— TRADE  &  COMMERCE,  59 
Commercial  Facilities,  69 

Capital  of  New-York,  69 

Banks,  -  -  -        61 

Insurance  Companies,  61 

Merchants'  Exchange,  62 

N.  Y.  Stock&Exchange  Board,  63 

63 

63 
64 
64 
65 
65 
66 
67 
68 
68 
70 
70 
71 
71 
72 
72 
73 
75 
75 


New  Stock  Exchange, 

Chamber  of  Commerce, 

Custom  House, 

Exports,  Imports,  and  Duties, 

Business  Streets, 

Packets,        .  .  _ 

Lines  of  Vessels,    - 

Canal-boats  and  Barges, 

Propellers,    -  -  . 

Steamboats, 

Ferries,        -  -  - 

Piers,  -  -  _ 

Atlantic  Dock  Co.,  - 

Pilotage,        .  -  . 

Railroads,     -  -  _ 

Consuls.       -  .  - 

Post  Office.  .  .  - 

Magnetic  Telegraph  Lines, 

Commercial  Journals, 


CHAP,  v.— MORALS  8r.  RELIGION,  76 
General  Morality,   -  -        76 

Churches,    -  .  -       77 


Vlll 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Reformed  Dutch  Church,  77 

Frieuds,     -  -  -  78 

Jews,         -  -  -  79 

Lutheran  Church,  -  80 

Episcopal  Church,  -  f?l 

Presbyterian  Church,     -  82 

Moravian  Church,  -  82 

Baptist  Church,  -  -  84 

Methodist  Church,  -  85 

Roman  Catholic  Church,  86 

Universalist  Church,       -  88 

Congregational  Church,  83 

New  Jerusalem  Church,  89 

Unitaiian  Church,  -  89 

Port  Society,         -  -  89 

Christian  Church,  -  89 

Second  Advent  Church,  89 

German  Catholic  Church,  90 

French  Reformed  Church,  90 

Cemeteries,  -  -  90 

Greenwood  Cemetery,    -  90 

Trinity  Church  Cemetery.  91 

Rockland  Cemetery,       -  91 
Cemetery  ofthe  Cypress  Hills91 

CHAP.  VI.— BENEVOLENCE,  -  92 
New- York  Hospital,  -  92 
Bloomingdale  Asylum.  -  93 
Deaf  and  Dumb  Institution,  94 
Institution  for  the  Blind,  96 
Widows'  Society,  -  .97 
New-York  Oridian  Asylum,  98 
Leake  &  Watts  Orphan  House,  99 
Colored  Orphan  Asylum,  99 
New- York  Dispensary,  -  100 
Northern  and  Eastern  Dispens- 
aries. -  -  100 
Marine  Society,  -  .  loO 
Nautical  Institution,  -  100 
Marine  Hospital,  -  -  lOl 
Seamen's  Retreat,  -  .  loi 
Sailor's  Snug  Harbor,  .  101 
Mariners'  Family  Industrial  So- 
ciety,              -  102 


Fagk. 
j^merican  Bible  Society,  -  102 
American  Tract  Society.  103 

American  Protestant  Society,  103 
Christian  Alliance,  -      103 

Foreign  Evangeliijal  Society,  103 

CHAP.  VII.  -EDUCATION,         -      104 
Public  Schools,        -  -       104 

Columbia  College,  -      105 

New-York  University,       -      107 
Medical  Department  of  N.  Y. 

University,    -         -      108 
College    of   Physicians    and 

Surgeons,  -       108 

General    Theological    Semi- 
nary, -  -      109 
Union  Theological  Seminary,  109 
Rutgers  Female  Institute,        110 

CHAP.  VIII.— LITERATURE. 

SCIENCE.  AND  TASTE,   111 

Literary  Institutions,  -      111 

N.  Y.  Historical  Society,       112 
New-York  Society  Library,  112 
Mercantile  Library  Associa- 
tion. -  -      113 
Society  of  Mechanics  and 

Tradesmen,  -      114 

Scientific  Institutions,  -  114 
American  lustitute,  -  114 
Mechanics'  Institute,  -  114 
Lyceum  of  Natural  History,  115 
Ethnological  Society,      -       115 

Institutions  ofthe  Fine  Arts,  116 
American  Art-Union,  -  116 
Newspapers.        -  -      117 

CHAP.  IX.— ENTERTAINMENT 

AND  AMUSEMENT,    -  118 

American  Museum,  -  118 

Castle  Garden.        -  -  118 

Exhibitions  and  Concerts,  119 

Objects  of  Interest,  -  119 

Excursions,  -  -  120 


Causes  of  the  Prosperity  of 
New-York, 


PART  III. 

NEW- YORK— THE  FUTURE. 

Estimates  of  its  Future  In- 


107 


crease. 


124 


NEW-YORK  — THE  PAST. 


"  Now  turn  your  view,  and  mark  from  Celtic  night 
To  present  grandeur  how  my  Britain  rose." 

Thompson. 


^. 


^^'^_^"T^ 

ir^^  I  III  7-, 'j'^ 


Sill' 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH. 


[This  portion  of  the  work  in  the  full  edition  will  be  seventy-five  or  one  hundred 
pages  longer  than  in  the  present  issue.] 

What  race  first  peopled  the  island  of  Mannahata  1*  Thiey  were  ;  but 
are  not :  the  vestiges  of  their  arts  are  the  study  of  the  antiquary. 

Sixteen  centuries  of  the  Christian  era  rolled  away,  and  no  trace' of 
civilization  was  left  on  the  spot  where  now  stands  a  city  renowned  for 
commerce,  intelligence,  and  wealth.  The  wild  children  of  nature,  un- 
molested by  the  white  man,  roamed  through  its  forests,  and  impelled 
their  light  canoes  along  its  tranquil  waters.  But  the  time  was  near  at 
hand  when  these  domains  of  the  savage  were  to  be  invaded  by  strangers, 
who  would  lay  the  humble  foundations  of  a  mighty  state,  and  scatter 
everywhere  in  their  path  exterminating  principles  which,  with  con- 
stantly augmenting  force,  would  never  cease  to  act  until  the  whole 
aboriginal  race  should  be  extirpated,  and  their  memory,  like  that  of  a 
nation  on  which  once  lell,  in  a  high  degree,  divine  displeasure,  be 
almost  blotted  out  from  under  heaven.  Civilization,  originating  in  the 
east,  had  reached  the  western  confines  of  the  old  world.  It  was  now 
to  cross  the  barrier  that  had  arrested  its  progress,  and  penetrate  the 
forests  of  a  continent  that  had  just  appeared  to  the  astonished  gaze  of 
the  millions  of  Christendom.  North  American  barbarism  was  to  give 
place  to  European  refinement. 

On  an  autumn  day,  in  the  year  1609,  a  strange  sight  appeared  to  the 
Indians  that  crowded  the  shores  of  Manhattan.  It  was  the  bark  of 
Henry  Hudson,  then  in  the  employ  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company, 
who,  on  a  voyage  in  search  of  a  north-west  passage  to  the  Indies,  had 
entered,  on  the  3d  of  September,  the  southern  waters  of  New- York. 
Warlike  by  nature,  and  perhaps  foreboding  the  future,  the  Man- 
hattce*  extended  not  to  the  stranger  the  civilities  offered  by  the  neighbor- 
ing tribes.  Twice,  during  Hudson's  stay  of  a  month  in  these  waters, 
did  they  attack  the  new-comers ;  and  ten  of  their  number   fell  before 

*  This  is  the  name  applied  to  the  island  of  New-York  in  the  journal  of  the  first  ex- 
ploration of  the  river.    Purchas's  rUgrims,  III.  567 — 610. 


12  HISTORICAL    SKETCH. 

Discovery  of  the  Hudson. — Voyages  to  New-Netherlaud. 

the  superior  power  of  civilized  warfare.  The  vessel  ascended  the  river 
which  will  bear  the  name  of  the  distinguished  navigator  to  posterity  ; 
it  descended;  and  the  white  man  disappeared.* 

Have  these  waters  ever  before  been  disturbed  by  European  adventu- 
rers ?  Was  New- York  a  part  of  ancient  Vinland,  and  visited  by  the 
Scandinavians  ?t  Did  the  wanderings  of  prince  Madoc  bring  him  to 
this  portion  of  the  American  coast  IJ  Did  Verrazani,  in  1524,  enter 
the  harbor  of  New-York  ?§  Or,  as  is  asserted,  with  perhaps  more  reason, 
had  persons  in  the  employ  of  a  Dutch  Greenland  Company  resorted  here 
as  early  as  159S  to  provide  a  place  of  shelter  for  the  winter  months  ?|| 
Have  the  jealousies  of  the  fierce  aborigines  of  Mannahata  been  excited 
by  former  acquaintance  with  civilized  man?  Our  curiosity  cannot  be 
satisfactorily  gratified.  But,  if  the  inhabitants  of  this  island  have  now 
for  the  first  time  beheld  individuals  of  a  new  race,  will  this  be  the  only 
visit  of  the  strangers  to  their  shores  ? 

The  Dutch,  having  achieved  their  independence,  and  risen  to  emi- 
nence as  a  commercial  power,  were  not  the  people  to  allow  important 
discoveries  to  pass  unimproved.  It  was  at  once  perceived  that,  though 
the  desired  passage  to  India  had  not  been  found,  the  voyage  of  Hudson 
had  opened  the  way  to  a  valuable  traffic  in  furs.  A  few  months  passed 
away,  and,  before  the  close  of  the  following  year,  a  Dutch  ship  was 
again  seen  by  the  natives. IT  A  successful  voyage  was  succeeded  by 
others;  posts  were  established  on  the  river,  and,  as  early  as  1614,  four 
houses,  it  is  asserted,  had  been  erected  on  the  island  whose  inhabitants 
had,  five  years  before,  exhibited  so  much  hostility  at  the  approach  of  the 
white  man.**  For  the  next  three  years  the  exclusive  privilege  of  trading 
to  the  Manhattans,  was  granted  to  a  company  formed  for  the  purpose, 
called  "  The  United  New-Netherland  Company. "ft  This  company,  soon 
after  its  organization,  fortified  a  redoubt  near  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  island,  which  became  the  central  point  of  the  trade.:}::}:  Valuable 
cargoes  of  furs  were  procured  from  the  Indians  in  exchange  for  articles 

*  Purchas,  ut  supra.  De  Laet's  New-World.  Coll.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Soc.  (2d  sor.)  I. 
289 — 291.  Van  der  Donck's  New  Netherlands  in  same,  I.  135,136.  Lambrechtsen's 
New-Netherlands,  Ibid.  I.  84—86.  Joost  Hartf?ers.  Ibid.  II.  368—370.  Heylyn's  Cosmo- 
graphy, IV.  95,  96.  Forster's  Voyages,  332,  333,  421,  422.  Belknap's  Amfcr.  Biog.  I.  398 
—400. 

t  Moultons's  New-York,  p.  Ill  e(  seq.    Bancroft's  U.  S.  I.  6. 

i  Moulton,  53—57. 

^  Hakluyt's  Voyages,  II.  295—300.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll.  (2d  Ser.)  I.  45,  46,  49,  Comp. 
Belknap,  I.  33,  Miller's  Discourse,  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll.  1.24,  25,  andDunlap's  New-York, 
I.  12.  13. 

II  O'Callaghan's  New-Netherland,  I,  29. 

IF  De  Laet,  II.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll.   1.291.  Lambrechtsen,  Ibid.  I.  88.  Belknap,  I.  401. 

**  Plantagenet's  New-Albion,  18. 

tt  Wassenaer  in  Brodhead's  Memoir,  II.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll.  II.  368,  359.  Ogylby's 
America,  168.    O'Callaghan.  1.  74—76. 

tt  DeLaet,Il.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll.  I,  291.    Lambrechtsen,  Ibid.  I.  89.  Heylyn,   96 
Moulton,  344.    Belknap,  I.  402,  403. 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH.  13 


Administrations  of  Mey,  Van  Hulst,  and  Minuit. 


of  trifling  value,  and  an  alliance  was  concluded  with  the  great  con- 
federacy of  the  Five  Nations  which  was  kept  inviolate  by  both  parties 
to  the  end  of  the  Dutch  rule  in  New-Netherland.*  From  the  expiration 
of  the  charter  of  "  The  United  New-Netherland  Company,"  in  1618, 
special  licenses  for  prosecuting  voyages  were  granted  to  individuals,t 
until  all  the  rights  and  privileges  relating  to  the  commerce  of  the  New 
World  were,  on  the  3d  of  June,  1021,  merged  in  one  of  the  most  re 
markable  commercial  associations  mentioned  in  history — the  Dutch 
West  India  Company.^ 

The  company  did  not  commence  its  operations  for  about  two  years  ; 
but,  in  the  mean  time,  several  voyages  were  undertaken,  with  the  ap- 
proval of  the  States  General,  by  private  individuals.  The  subject  of 
colonization  began  now  to  be  agitated,  and  communications  respecting 
it  passed  between  the  States  and  the  company  ;  but  there  being  yet  no 
constituted  authorities  in  New-Netherland,  the  matter  was  postponed. § 

The  first  director-general  of  the  new  association,  Cornells  Jacobsen 
Mey,  commenced  his  administration  at  Manhattan  Island  in  1624.  He 
was  succeded,  in  1025,  by  William  Van  Hulst,  who,  in  1026,  gave  place 
to  the  third  director,  Peter  Minuit.  Some  of  the  company's  ships  had 
visited  the  country  previously  to  the  commencement  of  the  regular  gov- 
ernment, and  new  fortifications  had  been  erected  both  on  the  North  and 
South  Rivers.  ||  But  the  commercial  operations  of  the  company  were  now 
to  be  conducted  on  a  regular  establishment.  To  the  Director  and  his 
council,  consisting  of  five  persons,  was  committed,  under  the  supervision 
of  their  superiors  at  home,  the  legislative,  judicial,  and  executive  au- 
thority of  the  colony,  composed  principally  of  persons  in  the  employ  of 
the  association. IT 

The  success  of  the  new  arrangements  was  soon  apparent.  During 
the  four  years  succeeding  the  arrival  of  Director  Mey,  the  exports  were 
valued  at  about  sixty-eight  thousand  dollars,  and  the  imports  at  about 
two-thirds  of  this  amount.** 

The  company  had  acquired  from  the  original  occupants  no  title  to 
the  island  on  which  their  settlement  had  been  commenced.  Attention 
was  therefore  turned   to   this   matter  in    1626 ;  and    the  whole   island 

♦  Colden's  Hist,  of  the  Five  Nations,  33. 

t  0-Callaghan,  I.  81. 

I  Chalmer's  Polit.  Annals.  569.    Hazard's  State  Papers,  I.  121—131. 

^O'Callaghan.  I.  93.  94,  98. 

llThis  account  of  the  administrations  of  the  early  directors,  varies  from  all  previous 
statements.  Moulton  and  O'Callaghan,  who  are  the  most  critical  of  any  of  the 
writers  that  have  alluded  to  the  history  of  New-Netherland,  state  that  Minuit  was 
the  first  director,  and  that  he  arrived  in  1624.  The  researches  of  Mr.  Brodhead  in 
Er  gland,  during  the  past  few  months,  bring  to  light  the  administrations  of  two  earlier 
directors. 

IT  Moulton.  366—369. 

♦*  De  Laet  in  Hazard,  I.  397. 


14  HISTORICAL    SKETCH. 

Administrations  of  Minuit  and  "Van  Twiller. 

was  purchased  of  the  Indian  proprietors  for  twenty-four  dollars.  A 
block-house  was  added  to  the  fortifications  on  the  island,  and  to  the 
station  was  given  the  name   of  Fort    Amsterdam.* 

An  association  like  that  which  settled  New-Netherland,  would  not 
overlook  any  opportunity  of  advantageously  extending  their  commercial 
relations.  The  colony  of  Plymouth  had  been  established  for  nearly 
seven  years,  and  no  communication  had  passed  between  the  Pilgrims 
and  the  Dutch  in  North  America.  The  Director-general,  who  had 
received  from  the  Indians  frequent  reports  of  his  Plymouth  neighbors, 
now  dispatched  his  secretary,  Isaac  de  Razier,  to  their  settlement,  with 
a  letter  of  congratulation,  and  a  proposition  for  mutual  traffic.  The  offer 
Was  gladly  accepted,  and  was  the  foundation  of  prolonged  and  mutually 
advantageous  intercourse.! 

Thus  far  attention  had  been  given  solely  to  trade;  but,  in  1629,  a 
charter  of  peculiar  privileges  and  exemptions  was  granted  to  all  who 
should  plant  colonies  in  New-Netherland;  in  consequence  of  which 
large  purchases,  in  behalf  of  certain  directors  of  the  "West  India  Com- 
pany, were  made  on  the  North  and  South  Rivers  and  Stoten  Island.  The 
planting  of  two  colonies  followed  these  purchases,  that  of  Zwanendal, 
or  the  valley  of  Swans,  on  the  South  River,  which  was  soon  entirely 
exterminated  by  the  Indians,  and  that  of  Rensselaerswyck,  the  fevidal 
rights  of  which  were  eventually  vested  in  the  heirs  of  Kiliaen  Van  Rens- 
selaer. Disputes  connected  with  this  method  of  colonization,  soon  arose 
between  the  partners  of  the  company,  the  directer-general  was  recalled, 
and  the  settlement  of  the  country  retarded.:!: 

The  administration  of  Wouter  Van  Twiller,  who  arrived  as  director- 
general  in  the  spring  of  1C33,  was  destined  to  be  disturbed  by  a  contro- 
versy that  was  not  to  end  until  the  whole  Dutch  dominion  in  North 
America  should  fall  before  English  cupidity.  A  few  weeks  after  his  arriv- 
al, Van  Twiller  caused  a  tract  of  land  on  the  Connecticut,  or  Fresh  River, 
about  sixty  miles  from  its  mouth,  to  be  purchased  of  the  Indians,  on 
which  was  erected  a  fortified  building,  called  "  the  House  of  Good  Hope.'* 
Soon  after,  he  learned  that  the  king  of  England  had  granted  the  whole 
territory  on  both  sides  of  the  Connecticut  to  persons  who  were  speedily 
to  occupy  it.  His  protests,  as  well  as  those  of  his  successor,  were  of  no 
avail.     The  guns  of  Fort  Good  Hope  were   disregarded.     Flourishing 


»  Lambrechtsen,  11.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll.,  I.  91,  92.  De  Laet,  Ibid.,  I.  373.  Let.  of  Isaac 
de  Rasieres,  Ibid.  II.  345.  O'Callaghan,  I.  104. 

t  Bradford's  Letter  Book,  Mass.  Hist.  Soc.  Coll..  Ill  51.  II.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll.  I. 
360.  Ba>lies's  Plymouth,  I.  14ti,  147.  Morton's  Ncw-Phigland's  Memorial.  (Davis's 
Edit)  133.  386,  387.  Neal's  New -England,  (-id  edit.)  1-26.  Winthrop's  Journal,  (Sav- 
M«'s  Edit.)  I.  138.    Hubbard's  New-England.  99.  100. 

t  Moulton.  387,399— 407,  413— 416.  419.  O'Callaghan,  110,  112,  121—130,137,138. 
Lambrechtsen,  II.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll.  I.  91.  Voyages  of  Do  Vries,  ibid.  I.  251. 
Acrelius's  New  Sweden,  Ibid.  I.  408.    Ferris's  Settlements  on  the  Delaware,  21—23. 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH.  15 


Administrations  of  Kicft  and  Stuyvesant, 


towns  sprang  up  on  the  river:  they  spread  along  the  sea  coast:  and  the 
rights  of  the  Dutch  were  driven  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  Hudson  River.* 
The  successor  of  Van  T wilier  was  Willem  Kieft.  Imperious  and 
vindictive  in  his  character,  the  whole  period  in  which  he  held  the  reins 
of  state,  from  163S  to  1647,  was  marked  by  a  series  of  bloodless  and  of 
sanguinary  hostilities.  The  Swedes  who,  under  the  Swedish  West 
India  Company,  had  established  a  colony  on  the  South  river  in  1638,t 
and  the  English  who  were  constantly  encroaching  on  the  territories  of 
New-Netherland,  gave  occasion  for  a  most  violent  contest  of  words. 
But  in  the  Indian  tribes  he  met  with  enemies  that  involved  him  in  more 
serious  difficulties.  His  policy  towards  them  was  harsh  and  calculated 
to  provoke  hostility.  Twice  was  he  obliged  to  sustain  a  general  war 
with  nearly  all  the  surrounding  tribes.  Many  of  the  settlements  and 
plantations  were  entirely  destroyed,  and  the  whole  country  reduced  to 
the  greatest  distress.  At  length  the  arms  of  the  Dutch  proved  victorious, 
and  peace  was  restored.  But  the  maladministration  of  Kieft  had  beea 
brought  before  the  States  General.  He  was  recalled,  and,  on  his  return 
to  Holland,  perished  by   shipwreck,  with   all  the   companions   of  his 

voyage.J 

New-Netherland  now  received  a  governor  whose  talents  were  equal  to 
the  station  he  occupied.  General  Peter  Stuyvesant  arrived  as  director- 
general  in  1647.  The  commencement  of  his  administration  was  sig- 
nalized by  a  concession  to  popular  rights.  Previously,  in  season  of 
difficulty  or  of  danger,  the  people  had  been  twice  called  upon  to  ap- 
point a  board  of  representatives  who,  without  possessing  any  power, 
might  make  known  the  wishes  of  the  people. $  Now  a  board  of  nine  men 
was  constituted  to  represent  the  commonalty,  whose  opinions  were  to 
be  received  on  important  occasions,  and  who  were  to  become  arbitrators 
in  such  civil  cases  as  might  be  referred  to  them.  The  seeds  of  liberty 
rapidly  germinated  among  the  people.     In  vain  did  the  director-general 

»  De  Vries,  II.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll.  I.  254,  261,  274.  Lambrechtsen,  Ibid.  92,  99' 
100.  Winthrop.  I.  112.  113.  166.  173.  175,  217,  259.  II.  129.  Morton,  172.  395.  Neal's 
New-England.  164—166,  169,  170.  Neal's  Hist,  of  the  Puritans,  (Choules's  Edit.)  317, 
3.19,340.  Hubbard,  171,  172,  179.  244,  245,  322.323.432.433.  Mather's  Magnalia,  I, 
76.    Trumbull's  Conn.  I.  35,  59.  96,  118.  122.  155—158 

t  Representation  of  New-Netherland,  H.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll.  II.  282.  Acrelius's 
New-Sweden,  Ibid.  I.  4ii9.  Clay's  Annals  of  the  Swedes.  18  Ferris.  35—39.  The 
assertion  of  Thomas  Campanius  Holm,  (tV.  Y.  Hist.  Coll.  II.  355.)  copied  by  many  of 
tlie  early  historians,  that  the  settlement  of  the  Swedes  was  made  in  1631,  is  entirely 
without  foundation. 

t  Van  der  Donck.  I.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll.  I.  162.  De  Vries,  Ibid.  I.  266— 272,288— 293. 
Bancroft.  II.  238-293.  O'Callaghan,  I.  270—278,282-303.  312—317.347,343.384.  II. 
34,  35  Colonial  Records,  II.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll.  I.  275,  276,  273,  279.  Plantagenet, 
19.  Hevlyn.  96,  Winthrop.  II.  96,  97,  135,  136.  157.  Neal's  New-Eng.  194.  Mather,  I. 
448.  Hubbard.  365,  441.442,  444.  Belknap's  New-Hampshire,  50.  Trumbull,  138—140. 
Simplicitie's  Defence,  23.  Force.  Vol.  IV.  No.  6. 

is  De  Vries,  II.  N.  Y  Hist.  Coll.  I.  266.  Represpntation  of  New-Netherland, 
Ibid.  299,  300.    Colonial  Records,  Ibid.  I.  277.  O'Callaghan,  I.  242,  243,  283--285. 


16  HISTORICAL    SKETCH. 

Administration  of  Stuyvesant. — Conquest  by  the  English. 

contend  for  the  full  exercise  of  the  prerogative.  In  vain  did  his  su- 
periors in  Holland  long  oppose  the  wishes  of  the  people.  In  1652,  New- 
Amsterdam,  with  a  population  of  nearly  a  thousand  souls,  received  an 
act  of  incorporation,  by  which  the  government  of  the  city  was  placed  in 
the  hands  of  a  schout,  burgomasters,  and  schepens.* 

In  1654,  the  Swedes,  against  whom  protests  had  been  of  no  avail, 
seized  upon  Fort  Casimir,  and  took  possession  of  the  whole  territory  of 
the  South  river.  This  was  followed,  the  next  year,  by  an  expedition 
against  them  from  New-Amsterdam,  which  resulted,  without  bloodshed, 
in  the  entire  expulsion  of  Swedish  dominion  from  North  America-f 

The  contests  which  it  was  found  necessary  to  wage  with  the  Indians, 
were  far  more  sanguinary.  Two  wars  with  the  Esopus  Indians,  in 
1659  and  1663,  were  attended  with  all  the  horrors  of  Indian  barbarity. 
But  the  aborigines  were,  as  in  all  cases,  compelled  to  purchase  peace  ; 
and  the  attention  of  the  director-general  was  turned  to  more  powerful 
enemies  that  threatened  the  infant  state.:}: 

The  English  had  continued  their  encroachments. §  They  had  often 
called  upon  the  government  at  home  to  adopt  hostile  measures  against 
the  Dutch  settlement,  and  the  Protector,  in  the  war  with  Holland,  in 
1654,  had  even  gone  so  far  as  to  send  a  fleet  to  this  country  for  that  pur- 
pose, whose  operations  were  only  suspended  by  the  re-establishment  of 
peace. II  English  jealousy  still  existed  ;  and,  in  1664,  Charles  II.  gave  a 
grant  of  the  whole  territory  of  New-Netherland  to  his  brother  James,  Duke 
of  York,  who  at  once  determined  to  subjugate  the  country.  A  fleet,  under 
the  command  of  Col.  Richard  Nichols,  arrived  at  Boston  in  the  summer 
of  that  year,  and  summoned  the  aid  of  the  New-England  colonies.  It 
appeared  before  New- Amsterdam  on  the  28th  of  August,  and  demanded 
the  surrender  of  the  city  and  of  the  province.  The  brave  Stuyvesant 
would  have  resisted,  but,  constrained  by  the  united  expostulations  of 
the  burghers,  agreed,  on  the  Sth  of  September,  1664,  to  articles  of 
capitulation  by  which  the  province  was  delivered,  on  the  most  honor- 
able and  advantageous  terms,  into  the  hands  of  its  enemies.  Colonel 
Nichols  now  assumed  the  government  of  the  country.     The  name  of  the 


*  0'Callaghan,II.  20,  36-40.59.66,  67,84,  86.89—94,  140—144,  156,  157,  169,170, 
192,  193,  210—214,  540.  Representation  of  New-Netherland,  II.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll. 
II.  308.    Records  of  Burgomasters  and  Schepens,  I.  105.  109. 

t  Acrelius,  II.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll.  I.  414—418.  Holm,  ll.id,  (1st  Ser.)  II.  357.  358. 
S.  Smith's  New-Jersey,  .33,  34.  O'Callaghan,  II.  274—276,  284—289.  Clay,  28—30. 
Ferris,  81—98. 

t  O'Callaghan,  II.  394—401.  407—413,  415-420.  473—482. 

I  Lambrechtsen,  II.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll.  I.  94,  101—106.  110,  111.  Van  der  Donck,  Ibid, 
I.  144.    Trumbull,  I.  258.    Let.  of  Stuyvesant.  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  VI.  209,  210. 

II  Thurloe's  State  Papers,  II.  418—420,  425,  426.  Trumbull,  212,  219,  220.  Bancroft, 
11.295,308. 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH.  17 


Re-conquest  by  the  Dutch. — Local  Interests. 


province,  as  well    as  that  of  the  metropolis,  was  changed,  in  honor  of 
the  proprietor,  to  that  of  New- York.* 

In  1665,  the  city  received  a  charter  from  Gov.  Nichols,  placing  it 
under  the  care  of  a  Mayor,  Aldermen,  and  a  Sheriff.  English  customs, 
during  the  few  succeeding  years,  were  rapidly  introduced,  to  the  exclu- 
sion of  the  modes  of  life  and  the  usages  of  the  Knickerbockers.! 

The  city  had  been  but  nine  years  under  British  rule,  when  the  for- 
tunes of  war  restored  it  to  the  original  proprietors.  A  rupture  had  oc- 
curred between  England  and  Holland.  On  the  30th  of  July,  1673,  a 
Dutch  squadron  entered  the  harbor,  and  demanded  the  immediate  sur- 
render of  the  province.  Their  demand  was  not  complied  with,  and 
their  guns  were  opened  upon  the  fort.  Capt.  Manning,  the  command- 
ant, was  ill  supplied  with  ammunition,  but  defended  the  place  until 
resistance  was,  in  his  opinion,  useless.  After  the  surrender,  Anthony 
Colve  was  appointed,  by  the  commanders  of  the  squadron,  governor  of 
the  province,  but  his  office  was  brought  to  a  close  by  the  treaty  of  the 
following  year,  which  restored  the  country  to  the  dominion  of  England-I 

The  Duke  of  York,  to  secure  his  title  to  the  territory  to  which  he  had 
given  his  name  now,  procured  a  new  patent,  by  which  he  enjoyed  near- 
ly absolute  control  over  New- York  until  he  ascended  the  throne  in  1685, 
when  all  his  rights  became  vested,  with  new  and  more  important  pow- 
ers in  the  crown.§ 

The  city  of  New- York  had,  until  this  time,  formed  so  important  a 
part  of  the  body-politic,  and  its  interests  had  been  so  identified  with 
those  of  the  country  at  large,  that  its  history  thus  far  is  almost  the 
history  of  the  province.  But  the  metropolis  began  to  assume  a  distinct 
character,  and  new  interests,  purely  local,  were  gradually  developed. 

♦  Minutes  of  Common  Council  of  N.  Y.  11.  318— 322.  Bancroft,  II.  312—315.  Smith's 
New-York.  I.  14—33.  Aitzema's  Hist,  of  the  United  Provinces,  II.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll. 
11.379,  380.  Lambrechtsen,  Ibid.  I.  112.  Morton,  310.  311.  Neal's  New-Eng.  360, 
361.    Hubbard,  577.    Ogylby,  169.    S.  Smith,  35— 46.    Trumbull,  266— 269. 

t  Minutes  of  Com.  Coun.  I.  179,  180.  II.  301,  324,  325.  Smith,  I.  40.  Dunlap's  New- 
York,  I.  119.  Ogylbv.  169. 

i  The  accounts  of 'the  surrender  of  New-York  in  1673,  as  given  by  the  historians, 
vary  essentially  from  the  truth.  The  statements  of  Smith.  (I-  43.)  that-'  not  a  shot" 
was' fired,  and  that  the  fort  was  "treacherously"  abandoned  ;  of  Bancroft,  (H.  322.) 
that  ".the  city  was  surrendered  without  a  blow'^;  of  Trumbull.  (I.  323.)  thaf  Manning 
treacherously  gave  up  the  fort;"  of  B.  F.  Butler,  (Discourse,  II.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll. 
II  34.)  that  the  city  was  "surrendered  without  a  struggle;"  of  J.  W.  Beekman 
(Proceedings  of  N.  Y.  Hist.  Soc.  for  1847,  p.  102,)  that  ''no  resistance  was  anywhere 
met  with  ;"  and  of  most  others  who  have  described  the  surrender,  are  shown  by  the 
documents  procured  in  London  by  Mr.  Brodhead  to  be  entirely  without  foundation.  A 
letter  written  from  Boston  to  Mr.  Harwood,  represents  that  four  guns  were  fired  from 
the  fort.  Lambrechtsen,  who  says  (II.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Soc.  Coll.  1.  114)  that '' the  con- 
quest was  made  without  great  o'pposition,"  and  Acrelius,  who  says  (II.  N.  Y.  Hist 
Coll.  I.  425)  that  the  Dutch,  "took  New -York  by  storm,"  come  the  nearest  to  the 
truth. 

§  Bancroft,  XL  326,  403. 

2* 


H 

18  HISTORICAL    SKETCH. 

Rise  and  Fall  of  Leisler. — Trial  of  Bayard. — Commerce. 

The  bolting,  packing,  and  exportation  of  flour  and  meal,  of  which  the 
city  enjoyed  a  monopoly,  became  the  most  important  branch  of  trade. 
Dissatisfaction  on  the  part  of  the  country  people  ensued  ;  and  their 
complaints  eventually  succeeded,  in  spite  of  the  petitions  and  protests 
of  the  city  authorities,  and  not  without  the  serious  misgivings  of  the 
citizens  as  to  their  future  destiny,  in  removing  the  odious  mono- 
poly,* 

But  important  events  had,  in  the  mean  time,  given  rise  to  more  power- 
ful commotions  in  New- York.  The  tyrant  James  was  a  fugitive.  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  had  ascended  the  throne.  Some  of  the  inhabitants, 
anxious  to  exhibit  their  loyalty,  had  proclaimed  the  new  sovereigns. 
They  made  choice  of  Jacob  Leisler,  a  merchant,  as  their  leader,  who, 
on  the  3d  of  June,  1689,  with  the  approbation  of  the  populace,  assumed 
the  goverment  of  the  colony.  The  mayor  of  the  city  and  several  pro- 
minent citizens,  though  in  favor  of  William  and  Mary,  opposed  these 
proceedings,  and  finally  retired  to  Albany.  That  town  determined  to 
resist  the  authority  of  Leisler,  but  was  obliged  to  yield  to  a  military 
force.  On  the  arrival  of  a  new  governor.  Col.  Henry  Slough ter,  in  1691, 
Leisler  hesitated  to  deliver  the  fort  to  an  agent  sent  to  demand  its  sur- 
render, and  desired  to  confer  with  the  principal.  This  was  made  by 
his  enemies  a  pretext  for  a  charge  of  treason  against  him.  He  was  ar- 
rested, tried,  and,  through  the  machinations  of  his  enemies,  unjustly 
sentenced  to  death,  and  executed.! 

The  struggles  of  the  citizens  against  the  encroachments  of  the  royal 
governors,  form  an  important  feature  in  the  history  of  New- York.  Twice, 
during  the  administration  of  Gov.  Cornbury,  was  money  embezzled  by 
him  which  had  been  appropriated  by  the  provincial  assembly  to  the 
defence  of  the  frontiers  and  of  the  capital. 4:  But,  a  few  months  previ- 
ously to  his  arrival,  in  1702,  the  citizens  had  been  inflamed  by  a  more 
fearful  invasion  of  their  rights.  Col.  Nicholas  Bayard  and  Alderman 
John  Hutchins,  for  refusing  to  deliver  up  addresses  which  had  been 
prepared  by  many  of  the  inhabitants  for  presentation  to  the  king,  the 
parliament,  and  the  new  governor,  were  tried  for  high  treason,  and  sen- 
tenced to  death  ;  but  they  were  subsequently  released,  and  their  attain- 
ders re  versed.  § 

New- York  began,  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  to  excite 

*  Minutes  of  Com.  Coun.  I.  143.  167-169.  243-245,  254-256, '260.  261,  37:2  II  58  <)3-96 
102,  103,  252,  253,  255,262—266,  295-326,  345,  349.  Dunlan,  I.  233.  II.  130,  133,  134,  137, 
140,141,143,144.  )        )        .        , 

t  Smith,  I.  91— 99,  109— 111,  113,114,117—119.  Dunlap,  I.  153-172,194—211, 
Miller's  Description,  19,  20.  Trumbull,  I.  378.  Minutes  ol  Com.  Coun.  I.  344— 
347. 

i  Dunlap,  1.255—261,  263.     Smith.  I.  174—185. 

ij  Howell's  State  Trials,  XIV.  471—473,  616.  Smith,  1. 163—168.    Dunlap,  I.  248-252. 

I 
I 

f. 


i 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH.  19 


Education. — Trial  of  Zenger. 


much  attentioa  as  a  commercial  emporium.  The  productions  of  the 
northern  colonies  were  accumulated  in  her  warehouses,  and  shipped 
thence  to  England  and  the  West  Indies.  Her  participation  in  the  West 
India  trade  often  excited  the  jealousy  of  interested  parties  beyond  the 
Atlantic,  but  it  was  not  difficult  for  enlightened  minds  to  perceive  that  a 
trade,  whose  returns,  in  money  or  goods,  were  shipped  to  England  in 
exchange  for  her  manufactures,  could  not  be  disadvantageous  to  the  pa- 
rent country.* 

The  interests  of  education,  and  the  diffusion  of  intelligence  among 
the  masses,  had  been  grossly  neglected  ;  but  their  importance  gradually 
received  attention.  A  free  grammar  school  had  been  founded  by  law  in 
1702.t  In  1725,  the  first  newspaper  commenced  its  existence,:}:  and,  four 
years  after,  the  city  received,  as  a  gift  from  a  society  in  England,  a 
library  of  1642  volumes. §  In  1732,  stage  routes  to  Boston  and  Phila- 
delphia were  established,  and  the  stages  performed  once  in  two  weeks. || 
A  public  classical  school  was  founded  by  the  assembly  in  1732.11  With 
the  advance  of  general  intelligence  came  a  higher  appreciatiori  of 
popular  rights,  and  a  determination  to  uphold  them.  Nor  was  long 
wanting  an  opportunity  to  resist  the  encroachments  of  arbitrary  power. 

John  Peter  Zenger,  the  Editor  of  the  New-York  Weekly  Journal,  in  the 
colonial  disputes  of  1734,  took  occasion  to  animadvert  upon  the  measures 
of  the  government.  Copies  of  his  paper  were  ordered  by  the  governor 
and  council  to  be  burned  in  presence  of  the  mayor  and  magistrates  of 
the  city,  who  refused  to  attend,  and  entered  their  protest  against  the 
measure.  Zenger  was  arrested,  and  every  effort  made  to  convict 
him  on  a  charge  of  libel.  The  only  two  lawyers  in  the  city  who  could 
be  intrusted  with  his  defence,  Messrs.  Alexander  and  Smith,  were  ex- 
cluded from  their  profession  for  calling  in  question  the  authority  of  the 
court.  The  people  were  greatly  excited.  The  aged  Andrew  Hamilton 
of  Philadelphia,  distinguished  alike  for  his  talents  and  his  love  of 
liberty,  was  at  once  engaged  to  plead  the  cause  of  popular  right.  He 
was  successful.  The  jury,  without  leaving  their  seats,  returned  a  ver- 
dict of  acquittal;  and  Hamilton  left  the  province  with  a  gift  of  the 
freedom  of  the  city,  and  amidst  the  acclamations  of  the  people.** 

*  Survey  of  Trade.  (London,  1718,)  146.  Miller,  10.  Let.  of  Chas.  Lodwick,  II.  N.  Y. 
Hist.  Coll.  II.  244.    Minot's  Continuation  of  Hist,  of  Mass.  Bay,  I.  162. 

t  Minutes  of  Com.  Coun.  II.  617,  519,  620.     Smith,  I.  175. 

t  Thomas's  Hist,   of  Printing,   II.  94.    Dunlap,  App.  160.    Watson's  Annals,  287. 

^  Minutes  of  Com.  Coun.  IV.  175,  176,  191—193,  195,  196.    Dunlap,  App.  162. 

II  Dunlap,  App.  227. 

H  Minutes  of  Com.  Coun.  IV.  303 — 489,  passim.     Smith,  II.  3. 

**  Howell's  State  Trials,  XVII.  676  et.  seq.  Narrative  of  the  Case  and  Tryal  of 
John  Peter  Zenger.  Minutes  of  Com.  Coun.  IV.  364,  367,  368.  Proud's  Pa.  p.  219, 
note.  Gordon's  Pa.  613.  VV^atson,  287,  Watson  gives  the  name  as  Zanger,  an  error 
he  committed  in  copying  from  the  records. 


20  HISTORICAL    SKETCH. 

Negro  Plot.— War  of  the  Revolution.— Capture  of  New-York. 


But  New-York  was  destined  to  be  convulsed  by  a  more  lamentable 
commotion.  For  many  years  occasional  disturbances  had  occurred 
among  the  negro  population.  In  1741,  a  few  fires  and  a  robbery  gave 
rise  to  a  general  alarm,  which,  on  slight  and  contradictory  testimony  as 
to  the  existence  of  a  plot  among  the  negroes  and  others  to  destroy  the 
city,  passed  into  complete  infatuation.  Numbers  were  executed  or 
transported ;  but  humanity  and  good  sense  finally  prevailed,  and  quiet 
was  restored  * 

The  trade  of  New-York  increased.  Her  ships  were  already  seen  in 
many  foreign  ports,  and  no  rival,  not  even  Philadelphia,  surpassed  her 
in  the  extent  of  her  commercial  operations. f  Provisions,  linseed  oil, 
furs,  lumber,  and  iron,  were  the  principal  exports  t  From  1749  to  1750, 
two  hundred  and  eighty-six  vessels  left  New- York,  with  cargoes  princi- 
pally of  flour  and  grain.  In  1755,  nearly  thirteen  thousand  hogsheads 
of  flaxseed  were  shipped  to  Ireland. § 

The  relations  of  the  colonies  with  the  mother  country  were  assuming 
a  serious  aspect.  In  1765,  a  congress  of  delegates  met  at  New-York, 
and  prepared  a  declaration  of  their  rights  and  grievances. ||  The  arrival 
of  the  stamped  paper,  so  notorious  in  the  colonial  annals  of  America, 
towards  the  end  of  this  year,  marked  the  commencement  of  a  series  of 
explosions  that  was  not  to  terminate  until  the  city  and  colony  of  New- 
York,  in  common  with  the  other  colonies,  were  forever  rent  from  the 
dominion  of  Great  Britain. If  The  non-importation  agreements  of  the 
merchants  of  New- York  and  other  places,  in  17GS  and  the  succeeding 
years,  were  followed  by  stringent  measures  on  the  part  of  the  English 
government.  War  became  inevitable,  and  all  eyes  were  soon  directed 
to  New- York  as  the  point  where  the  enemy  would  strike  a  blow  at  the 
heart  of  the  country.** 

On  the  2Sth  of  June,  1776,  the  British  army  and  fleet,  which  had 
been  driven  from  the  city  and  harbor  of  Boston,  entered  the  southern 
bay  of  New- York.  The  troops  were  landed  upon  Staten  Island.  On 
the  22d  of  August  the  British  forces  crossed  the  Narrows,  and  encamped 
near  Brooklyn  where  the  American  army  was  stationed.  The  battle  of 
Long  Island  ensued,  in  which,  owing  to  unfortunate  circumstances,  the 
Americans  were  entirely  defeated.  Washington,  with  consummate 
skill,  crossed  the  river,  the  succeeding  night,  without  observation,  but 

♦  Horsmanden's  Hist,  of  the  Negro  Plot,  1714  passim.  Pintard  in  Preface  to  Second 
Edit,  of  same.  1810.     Minutes  of  (.;om.  Coun.  V.  13,  14.  19   -24,  40,  oh     Smith,  II.  70-75. 

t  Kalm's  Travels,  {id  Loud.  Edit.)  II.  19S— '201.  Bowen's  Geography,  II.  661,  662. 
Let.  to  Lord  George  Germain,  (Lond    1776.)  7. 

\  Kalm,20l.  Bowen,  661.  Burnabys  Travels,  63,  66.  Burke's  European  Settle- 
ments, 11.  189,  199.    137,  Ibid,  191. 

^  Marshall's  Amer.  Colonies,  360,  361. 

II  Holmes's  Annals,  II.  137. 

If  Ibid.  II.  156.166.     Marshall,  385. 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH.  21 


Evacuation  of  the  City. — Increase  of  Trade. — Misfortunes. 

the  previous  disasters,  and  the  subsequent  successful  landing  of  the 
British  troops  at  Kip's  and  Turtle's  bays,  rendered  it  impossible  to  save 
the  city.* 

For  eight  years  New-York  was  the  head-quarters  of  the  British  troops, 
and  the  prison-house  of  American  captives.  Public  buildings  were  des- 
poiled, and  churches  converted  into  hospitals,  prisons,  riding-schools,  and 
stables,  and  subjected  to  the  desecrations  of  a  wanton  and  impious  sol- 
diery, f  Casualty  united  with  the  horrors  of  war  to  swell  the  misfortunes 
of  the  devoted  city.  A  fire,  in  ]77G,  sweeping  along  both  sides  of  Broad- 
way, destroyed  one-eighth  of  the  buildings  of  New-York. f 

The  British  rule  in  this  metropolis  for  the  third  and  last  time  came  to 
an  end.  On  the  25th  of  November,  17S3,  the  forces  of  Great  Britain 
evacuated  the  city,  and  Washington  and  the  governor  of  the  State  made 
a  public  and  triumphal  entry. § 

Tlie  city  of  New-York,  in  common  with  other  portions  of  the  country, 
had  already  been  declared  free  and  independent ;  but  its  freedom  had 
been  nominal.  The  sweets  of  liberty  were  now  tasted  ;  and  many  of 
those  demonstratious  and  events  which  were  considered  the  precursors 
and  the  pledges  of  those  fruits  of  liberty  which  the  whole  people  antici- 
pated, took  place  in  New- York.  In  1788,  the  adoption  of  the  federal  con- 
stitution was  attended  by  a  most  imposing  celebration, ||  and,  in  1789, 
Washington  was  inaugurated  in  New- York  as  first  President  of  the 
United  States,  amidst   the  acclamations  of  thousands  of  spectators. IT 

The  restoration  of  peace,  and  the  rise  of  the  new  government,  were  the 
signal  for  extending  the  commercial  relations  of  New-York.  In  ten  years 
her  population  had  nearly  doubled,  and,  in  the  early  pan  of  the  present 
century,  her  claims,  as  the  leading  emporium  of  the  continent,  were  con- 
clusively established,  and  all  prospect  that  the  current  of  trade  would  be 
diverted  into  any  other  channel  entirely  dissipated.** 

But  misfortune  was  not  entirely  removed  from  the  metropolis.  Riot, 
pestilence,  fire,  and  war,  were  at  hand  to  disturb  her  peace,  cripple  her 
means,  or  desolate  her  borders.  In  1788,  the  community  were  thrown 
into  consternation  by  an  attack  made  upon  the  medical  profession  by  an 
infuriated  mob.  The  phrensy  of  some  of  the  people  had  been  excited  by 
an  imprudent  exposure  of  a  portion  of  a  dissected  body.     After  a  contest 


♦  Holmes.  245.  et.  seq.  Sparks's  Life  of  Washington,  I.  169,  170,  176—179,  185,  186 
199.     Ramsey's  U.  S.  114—135. 

t  Watson,  325,  326.    Sparks,  I.  224.    Knapp's  Life  of  Burr,  42. 

J  Watson. 

kj  Holmes.  II.  351,  529,  530.     Sparks,  I.  370. 

II  Duer's  Address.  22 — 27. 

IT  lb.  27,  28.    Life  of  John  Jay  by  his  son,  I.  273.     Sparks,  I.  408. 

**  Morse's  Gazetteer,  (1797.)  art.  N.  Y.  city.  Dwight's  Travels,  III.  470.  Holmes.  II. 
390,  395.  N.  Y.  Spectator,  June  4,  1801. 


22  HISTORICAL    SKETCH. 

Prosperity. — Canal  Navigation. 


of  three  or  four  days,  in  which  several  lives  were  lost,  the  mob  was  en- 
tirely subdued  by  the  military  ;  and  the  occurrence  was  signalized  by  the 
name  of  "the  doctors'  riot."*  In  179S  and  the  succeeding  years,  the 
city  was  nearly  depopulated  in  consequence  of  pestilence.  Over  three  thou- 
sand persons  in  one  year  fell  victims  to  the  ravages  of  the  yellow  fever. f 
Large  fires  took  place  in  1804  and  1811. J  But  the  interests  of  the  city  were 
more  seriously  injured  by  the  breaking  out  of  war  between  the  United  States 
and  England  in  1812.  For  a  time  her  commerce  was  almost  suspended 
by  disturbances  on  the  ocean ;  but  the  enemy  did  not  choose  to  brave  the 
fortifications  that  had  been  erected  in  her  harbor,  and,  with  the  exception 
of  a  slight  apprehension,  the  quiet  of  the  community  was  preserved. § 
These  misfortunes  passed  away.  Various  interruptions  of  the  public 
peace  led  to  improvements  in  the  police  system  of  New- York,  until  it  was 
pronounced  more  eflicient  than  that  of  other  American  cities.  ||  The 
ravages  of  pestilence  and  fire  impressed  upon  the  mind  the  necessity  of  ■? 
greater  precaution  and  more  prompt  and  vigorous  measures  in  the  health 
and  fire  departments.  And  the  cessation  of  war  opened  again  the  waters 
of  the  world  to  the  commerce  of  New- York.  Soon  her  sails  were  un- 
folded in  every  sea;  and  the  establishment  of  her  regular  lines  of  packets, 
the  first  undertaking  of  the  kind  in  the  country,  and  the  introduction  of 
steam-navigation,  first  used  upon  her  waters,  added  to  her  commercial 
superiority  over  the  other  ports  of  the  republic.lT 

Improvements  hitherto  had  been  principally  comiected  with  foreign  com- 
merce. But  a  tremendous  impulse  "was  now  to  be  given  to  inland  trade 
by  the  adoption  of  an  extensive  system  of  canal-navigation.  Several 
smaller  works  were  cast  into  the  shade  by  the  completion  of  the  gigantic 
Erie  Canal,  in  1825.  The  union  of  the  Atlantic  with  the  Lakes,  was 
announced  by  the  firing  of  cannon  along  the  whole  line  of  the  canal  and 
of  the  Hudson,  and  was  celebrated  at  New- York  by  a  magnificent  aqua- 
tic procession,  which,  to  indicate  more  clearly  the  navigable  communica- 
tion that  liad  been  opened,  deposited  in  the  ocean  a  portion  of  the  waters 
of  Lake  Erie.** 

*  Minutes  of  Com.  Coun.  IX.  65.  Diier,  20— 22.  Life  of  Jay,  261.262.  Watson,  298. 

t  Holmes.  II.  413.  Watson.  Minutes  ol  Com.  Coun.  XII.  377  381,  431,  4.32.  Sup- 
plement to  Commercial  Advertiser.  Feb.   12.   1799.     N.  Y.   Spect.  Sept.  7.  1799. 

t  Minutes  of  Com.  Coun.  XXIII.  2.51—253.  262.274.  351.    Holmes,  II.  444. 

§  Minutes  of  Com.  Coun.  XVII.  72,  73,  86,  99,  116,  117  ,  176.  190,  202,  207,  211.241. 
XXV   186,  187. 

11  Dwight,  III.  474.  475.    Palmer's  Travels.  328. 

H  Colden's  Life  of  Fulton,  166— 177,  181,  186.  Minutes  of  Com.  Coun.  XXIII.  247 
328.343     XXV.  203    XXVI.  3.  93.  109,  110.  120— 123. 

*»  Minutes  of  Com.  Coun.  LV.  236,  258,  342.  LVI.  21,22,  24.  103.158.  LVII.  284. 
Colden's  Memoir  of  the  N.  Y.  Canals,  passim.  Pitkin's  Statistical  View,  542— 548. 
The  statement  of  Watson,  (p.  138,)  and  some  otliers,  that  the  canal  was  completed, 
and  the  consummation  of  the  work  celebrated  in  1824,  is  incorrect. 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH.  23 


Misfortunes. — Croton  Aqueduct. — Comparative  Importance  of  New-York. 


Municipal   history   is  a  narrative  of  alternate   successes  and  reverses. 
For  many  years  nothing  had  occurred  to  mar  the  prosperity  of  the  city. 

;  But  misfortune  came.  In  1332,  tlie  Asiatic  cholera  appeared,  and  thou- 
sands fell  victims  to  the  disease.  This  calamity  had  scarcely  passed  when 
the  great  fire  of  1S35  destroyed,  in  one  night,  more  than  six  hundred 
buildings,  and  property  to  the  value  of  over  twenty  millions  of  dollars.* 

I  The  city  had  not  recovered  from  the  etfects  of  this  disaster  when  the  com- 
mercial revulsions  of  183G  and  1S37  shook  public  and  private  credit  to 
their  center,  and  involved  many  of  the  most  wealthy  houses  in  New- York 
in  hopeless  bankruptcy.     The  day  of  prosperity  again  dawned  upon  the 

I   metropolis,  and  the  completion  of  one  of  the  greatest  works  of  modern 

[  times,  soon  gave  evidence  that  the  untiring  energy  of  her  sons  had  retrieved 
their  credit  and  their  fortunes. 

The  want  of  an  adequate  supply  of  water  had  long  been  felt  by  the 
citizens,  but  the  completion  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct  in  1842,  removed 
the  inconvenience,  and  left  an  imperishable  monument  to  the  glory  of 
NeW'York, 

A  temporary  check  in  the  onward  progress  of  the  city  was  sustained  by 
the  fire  of  1845,  which  destroyed  property  to  the  value  of  about  seven 
millions  of  dollars.  In  the  spring  of  1849,  took  place  a  fearful  riot  con- 
nected with  a  theatrical  dispute,  in  which  twenty-three  lives  were  lost. 
The  summer  of  the  present  year  has  been  marked  by  an  apprehension  of 
the  ravages  of  the  cholera,  but  comparatively  few  deaths  have  occurred. 

Such  is  a  brief  sketch  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  city  that  holds 
the  first  rank  in  the  Western  World,  and  is  but  the  second,  in  commercial 
importance,  on  the  globe.  While  the  settlement  of  other  cities  of  America 
received  an  impulse  from  religious  or  political  intolerance  abroad,  the 
foundations  of  New- York  were  laid  on  the  hopes  of  commercial  gain. 
While  other  cities  sprung  up  and  prospered  under  the  vigorous  manage- 
ment of  those  who  had  transferred  to  the  wilderness  their  homes,  their 
fortunes,  and  their  liberty,  New- York  languished  under  the  neglect  and 
mismanagement  of  a  foreign  corporation.  While  other  cities  rapidly  ad- 
vanced under  the  chartered  rights  of  provinces,  New-York  was  forced  to 
maintain  a  servile  dependence  on  the  crown.  While  other  cities  pursued 
a  comparatively  uninterrupted  course,  New-York  was  often  the  theater  of 

*  This  estimate  is  higher  than  that  of  most  statements,  but  accords  with  the  opinion 
of  those  conversant  with  the  circumstances.  The  amount  of  loss  ascertained  from 
the  assertions  of  the  sufferers,  by  the  committee  appointed  at  the  time  to  investigate 
the  subject,  fell,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  for  an  obvious  reason  connected  with 
mercantile  credit,  below  the  actual  loss. 


24 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH. 


The  future  as  compared  with  the  past. 


convulsion  and  of  war.  But  New-York  possessed  commercial  facilities 
which  other  cities  possessed  not,  and  the  want  of  the  impulses  and  ad- 
vantages enjoyed  by  her  rivals,  was  not  sufficient  to  prevent  the  develop- 
ment and  use  of  her  capabilities.  Against  the  greatest  disparity,  New- 
York  has  risen  above  competition,  and  stands  the  unrivaled  metropolis  of 
America. 

To  those  among  the  living  whose  energy  has  contributed  to  the  prosperity 
of  New- York,  the  rank  she  holds  as  an  emporium  of  the  world  must  be 
gratifying.  But  her  future  prospects  are  no  less  interesting  to  her  sons ; 
and  often  the  eager  inquiry  arises,  will  this  unparalleled  rapidity  of  pro- 
gress continue  ?  Will  New- York  surpass  the  cities  of  the  Eastern,  as  she 
has  surpassed  those  of  the  Western  World  ?  This  inquiry  it  will  be  our 
purpose  to  answer  when  we  have  surveyed  in  detail  her  present  state,  and 
ascertained  the  nature  and  stability  of  her  institutions. 


NEW-YORK— THE  PRESENT. 


"  Triumphant  Sylla  !  could'st  thou  then  divine, 
By  aught  but  Romans  Rome  should  thus  be  laid  ?" 

Byron. 


CHAPTER   I. 


DESCRIPTION. 

"What  hath  not  time  wrought  1  Could  the  encerprising  navigator  of 
the  Hudson  revisit  the  scenes  of  his  discoveries,  would  he  not  exclaim 
**  where  is  Mannahata  ?"  Could  the  burgomasters  and  schepensof  a  former 
dynasty  again  tread  the  soil  over  which  their  jurisdiction  once  extended, 
would  they  not  exclaim  "where  is  Nieuw  Amsterdam?"  And  yet  two 
centuries  have  scarce  elapsed  since  the  former  pointed  out  the  location, 
and  the  latter  directed  the  progress,  of  the  infant  state.  Two  centuries 
have  sufficed  to  convert  a  settlement  of  a  few  trading  houses  into  a  me- 
tropolis equaled,  in  size,  or  commercial  importance,  by  few  in  the 
world.  Where  the  Indian  paddled  his  light  canoe,  now  floats  the  gigantic 
battle-ship  ;  the  shores  that  received  the  contents  of  the  fishing  wiers,  are 
now  lined  with  the  vehicles  of  commerce  ;  the  solitary  foot  path  that 
wound  through  the  forest  has  disappeared,  and  in  the  wide  avenues  are 
seen  the  busy  crowds  ;  where  the  sacrifices  of  a  superstitious  religion  were 
offered,  the  spires  of  Christian  sanctuaries  now  point  to  heaven. 

The  island  of  New  York,  the  whole  of  which  is  included  within  the 
limits  of  the  city,  is  about  13  1-3  niiles  in  length  from  north  to  south, 
with  an  average  breadth  of  one  mile  and  three  fourths.  It  is  bounded  on 
the  north  by  Harlem  River  and  Spuyten  Duyvel  Creek,  which  connect  to- 
gether and  separate  it  from  the  main  land;  on  the  east  by  the  East  River; 
on  the  south  by  the  Harbor  ;  and  on  the  west  by  the  Hudson  or  North  River, 
It  is  separated  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  by  a  capacious  harbor,  twenty- 
five  miles  in  circumference,  which  is  connected  with  an  outer  bay  and 
the  ocean  by  a  strait  called  the  Narrows. 

The  avenues  to  the  city  are  well  defended.  At  the  Narrows,  are  Fort 
Hamilton  and  La  Fayette  on  Long  I<land,  and  Forts  Tomj^jkins  and  Rich- 
mond on  Staien  Island.  Fort  La  Fayette  is  built  on  a  reef  two  hundred 
yards  from  the  shore  and  is  covered  by  Fort  Hamilton ;   Fort  Tompkins, 


28  DESCRIPTION. 


Surrounding  Waters — Surface  of  the  Island — Streets. 


Standing  on  the  bights  of  Staten  Island,  and  noted  for  its  many  subterran- 
ean passages,  protects  Fort  Richmond  and  other  sea  coast  batteries.  Tlie  in- 
ner harbor  contains  Governor's,  Bedlow's  and  Ellis's  islands,  all  strongly 
fortified.  On  the  North  West  point  of  Governor's  Island  stands  Castle  Wil- 
liams, a  circular  stone  battery,  connected  by  a  covered  passage  with  Fort 
Columbus,  built  in  the  shape  of  a  star,  on  the  South  side  of  the  island. 
Another  battery  commands  the  passage,  between  Governor's  Island  and 
Long  Island,  called  Buttermilk  Channel.  The  entrance  to  the  East  River 
from  Long  Island  Sound  is  protected  by  Fort  Schuyler  on  Throg's  Neck, 
With  these  defences  Nev;^  York  may  never  fear  bombardment. 

The  appearance  of  the  island  vv^as  originally  greatly  diversified.  Sudden 
acclivities  and  craggy  rocks  were  intermingled  with  ponds  and  marshes. 
But  the  magic  wand  of  art  has  passed  over  the  place.  Hills,  moving  Irom 
their  foundations,  have  driven  the  angler  from  his  brooks,  and  the  skat- 
ing boy  from  the  scenes  of  his  favorite  sport. 

The  island  of  New  York  presents  a  field  for  geological  research  not 
devoid  of  interest.  Its  rocks  are  almost  exclusively  primitive,  and  con- 
sist chiefly  of  gneiss,  micaceous  gneiss,  hornblendic  gneiss,  hornblende 
slate,  hornblende  rock,  limestone,  the  anthophyllite  rock,  and  granite. 
The  prevailing  rock  is  micaceous  gneiss,  which  underlies  the  lower 
portion  of  the  island,  being  covered  by  a  bed  of  diluvium,  but  as  we 
proceed  farther  north  crops  out  in  many  places.  The  diluvium  is  from 
ten  to  eighty  feet  in  depth,  and  rests  on  the  same  or  greater  thickness  of 
alluvial  or  tertiary  sands,  which  last  are  highly  stratified,  and  in  many 
places  exhibit  the  appearance  of  ripples  as  from  the  retiring  waves  of  the 
ocean.     The  northern   extremity  of  the  island  is  composed  of  limestone. 

Nor  is  New  York  altogether  wanting  in  mineralogical  interest.  Quartz 
chrystals,  rose  quartz,  epidote,  tourmaline,  brown  garnets,  serpentine, 
red  sUlbite,  white  pyrozene,  fetid  felspar,  iron  pyrites,  and  white  tremo- 
lite,  are  some  of  the  minerals  which  the  rocks  of  New  York  reveal  to  the 
gaze  and  examination  of  science.* 

The  southern  portion  of  the  island,  including  about  one  fifth  of  the 
whole  area,  is  compactly  built.  The  remainder  is  mostly  under  tillage. 
A  few  narrow  and  crooked  streets  that  have  existed  from  the  days  of  Picter 
Wolfersten  Van  Couwenhoven,  and  which,  according  to  the  facetious 
Knickerbocker,  were  opened  by  the  kine  of  the  settlement,  have  occasion- 
ed much  scandal  as  to  the  regularity  of  New-York  ;  but  that  must  be  a 
superficial  view  that  passes  over  those  noble  streets  that  traverse  nearly  the 

♦  State  Geological  Survey. 


DESCRIPTION.  29 


Streets. 


whole  length  of  the  city  without  a  deviation  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the 
left,  or  all  the  northern  half  of  the  compact  part  of  the  city  which  scarce 
includes  an  angle  more  or  less  than  90'^,  or  those  spacious  and  splendid 
avenues  that,  eleven  in  number,  and  each  100  feet  in  width,  run  parallel 
to  each  other  through  the  upper  wards  to  the  remote  extremity  of  the  island. 
In  a  few  years,  too,  the  most  irregular  portions  of  the  city  may  perhaps 
suit  those  who  now  declaim  so  loudly  against  its  want  of  regularity.  Pro- 
bably no  other  city  would  have  evinced  the  public  spirit  of  New  York  in 
widening  and  straightening  its  ancient  streets.  Large  piles  of  valuable 
buildings  have  opposed  no  barrier  to  the  accomplishment  of  this  object. 
The  work  of  improvement  is  not  yet  completed.  "While  we  write,  the 
crash  of  buildings,  under  the  hand  of  innovation,  can  be  heard,  making 
way  for  an  outlet  to  one  of  the  principal  business  streets  of  the  city.* 

Broadway  is  the  great  thoroughfare  of  New- York.  It  extends  from  the 
Battery,  or  southern  extremity  of  the  city,  about  N.  E.  by  N.f  to  Union 
Place,  a  distance  of  2  1-2  miles,  in  a  perfectly  straight  line,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  slight  angle  a  few  rods  before  its  termination.  The  great  prome- 
nade for  beauty  and  fashion,  it  contains  the  largest  and  most  splendid  re- 
tail stores  in  the  city.  Here  may  be  seen  the  silks  of  China  and  the  rich 
fabrics  of  India  and  Thibet ;  the  manufactories  of  Europe  and  our  own 
continenr  have  here  poured  forth  their  treasures;  the  precious  metals 
have  been  made  tributary,  and  the  glittering  windows  display  the  in- 
genuity of  art.  Broadway,  though  80  feet  wide,  is  too  contracted  for  the 
free  passage  of  the  numerous  vehicles  with  which  it  is  always  thronged. 
The  principal  lines  of  omnibuses  pass  tVirough  this  street,  but  their  pro- 
gress in  its  lower  portionis  so  slow,  that  their  utility  for  short  distances 
is  much  diminished.  To  obviate  this  inconvience  an  elevated  railway 
has  been  proposed,  but  opposition  of  some  of  the  citizens  to  this  measure 
has  yet  to  be  removed. 

Among  other  streets  prominent  for  width,  length  or  beauty,  maybe 
mentioned  the  Bowery,  East  and  West  Broadway,  and  Chatham,  Canal 
Hudson  and  Greenwich  streets.  Pearl  street,  one  mile  and  three  eighths 
in  length,  at  the  same  time  the  most  irregular  and  the  most  important 
business  street  in  the  city,  commences  at  State-street,  a  short  distance 
from  Broadway,  and  having  described  a  zigzag  curve  terminates  in 
Broadway,  nearly  a  mile  from  the  Battery.  Pearl  street,  a  hundred  and 
fifty  years  ago,  was  the  shore  of  the  East  River.:}:  Maiden  Lane,  now  a 
most  important   business  street,  was    the  favorite  resort   of  the   maidens 


*  "William-street,  the  upper  part  of  which  was  formerly  called  Horse-and-cart-st. 
t  The  exact  direction  is  N.  36°  E. 

j  Moulton'sNew-York,  428.  New-Orange,  30.   Manual  of  Com.  Coun.  (1848.)  347 
Watson,  173. 


30 


DESCRIPTION. 


Pavements. 


of  Nieuw- Amsterdam.*  The  southern  portion  of  the  city  is  almost  ex- 
clusively devoted  to  business  purposes,  and  a  more  minute  description 
will  be  appropriate  when  we  come  to  speak  of  the  trade  and  commerce 
of  New  York. 

The  northern  portion  of  the  island,  most  of  which  is  not  yet  thickly 
settled,  was  laid  out  in  a  regular  manner,  under  the  superintendence  of 
Governeur  Morris,  De  "Witt  Clinton  and  John  Rutherford,  commission- 
ers appointed  for  the  purpose  by  the  legislature  of  New  York  in  1807. 
The  survey  by  John  Randall,  Jr.  was  commenced  in  1811  and  occupied 
ten  years.  The  avenues  before  alluded  to  were  laid  out  in  this  survey, 
and  have  been  cut  through  the  opposing  rocks  and  hills  at  great  expense. 
They  are  intersected  by  156  cross  streets,  numerically  designated,  which, 
with  the  avenues,  form  oblong  rectangles,  most  of  them  200  by  800  feet. 

The  streets  are  mostly  paved  with  the  common  round  paving  stone. 
But  the  "  Russ  Pavement,"  invented  by  Horace  P.Russ,  Esq.,  has  during 
the  last  two  years  been  introduced  into  several  places  in  the  city. 
Though  expensive,  it  i«  most  durable,  and  will  doubtless  prove  in  the 
end  the  cheapest  that  could  be  used.  It  consists  of  blocks  of  trap,  about 
10  inches  in  depth,  laid  in  ranges,  in  lozenge  formed  division,  by 
which  the  edges  are  presented  diagonally  to  the  wheel  tire  of  carriages. 
This  superstructure  rests  upon  a  substructure  of  concrete,  arranged  in 
sections  that  can  be  lifted  out  to  afford  access  to  the  pipes  beneath.  This 
substructure  likewise  rests  upon  a  foundation  of  chips  of  granite  or  other 
stone;  the  whole  forming  a  consolidated  mass,  about  18  inches  in  thick- 
ness, that  it  does  not  seem  possible  to  equal  in  durability.  The  first  block 
of  this  pavement  was  laid  in  Broadway,  between  Chambers  and  Reade 
streets,  in  July,  1846,  at  an  expense  ofi^tSOOl  ;  ^1350  of  which  was  paid 
by  the  corporation,  ^990  by  property  owners,  and  the  balance  by  Mr. 
Russ.  In  August,  ]847,  the  block  in  Broadway,  between  "Washington 
and  "Waverley  Places,  embracing  840  square  yards,  was  laid  at  an  ex- 
pense of  ^4600,  one-third  of  which  was  paid  by  the  corporation,  and 
the  balance  by  property  owners.  In  1S4S,  the  space  around  the  Herald 
and  Sun  buildings,  (corner  of  Nassau  and  Fulton  streets,)  680  square 
yards  was  paved  at  an  expense  of  S3, 700,  the  corporation  paying  ^65 1> 
the  proprietors  of  the  Herald  and  Sun  the  balance  of  the  amount.  These 
experiuicnts  apparently  successful  in  their  issue  caused  the  corporation 

*  The  first  name  applied  to  tlic  location  was  "  the  ladies' valley  "  Itwassnl)sc- 
qnently  called  "  tlie  vlrj^ins'  i)ath.''  and  in  1G92.  t\voiitv-<'iRht  years  alter  the  stir- 
render  to  the  Knj^lish.  it  fust  np|)cars  on  the  rcc-oids  of  tiie  city,  nnder  the  title  of 
"  Green  lane."  In  16!U>.  it  was  laid  out  and  reg\ilatcd,  and  received  its  present 
name.  Minutes  of  Com.  Coun.  Moulton's  New-Orange,  36.  Manual  of  Com.  Couu 
(1848,)  349. 


DESCRIPTION.  31 


Public  Grounds — The  Battery. 


tc  decide  upon  laying  down  this  pavement,  at  the  sole  expense  of  the  city, 
ia  Broadway,  from  Chambers-street  to  Maiden  Lane,  a  space  embracing 
about  9000  square  yards,  and  the  contracts  were  performed,  in  1848  and 
1849,  by  Messrs.  Russ  &  Reid  at  $!5,50  per  square  yard.  There  can  be 
no  doubt  that  this  pavement  will,  in  a  few  years,  supersede  all  others  in 
the  great  thoroughfares  of  the  city. 

Although  New  York  is  not  so  well  supplied  with  Public  Grounds  as 
might  be  desired,  in  consequence  of  the  neglect  of  the  City  Fathers  to 
reserve,  when  the  soil  was  not  as  valuable  as  at  present,  a  sufficient 
portion  for  this  purpose;  yet  we  can  boast  of  several  splendid  prome- 
nades, and  one  not  surpassed,  if  equaled,  in  this  country. 

The  Battery,  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  island,  forms  an  irregu- 
lar figure,  resembling  a   quarter    section   of  the  space  included   between 
two  concentric  circles.*     As  its  name  denotes,  it  was  formerly  devoted  to 
the  defence  of  the  city,  but  the  embankments  thrown  up  by  the  Dutch 
were  not  kept  in  repair,  and  the  wide  spreading  sycamores  that  soon  over- 
shaded  these    military  preparations  were  consecrated  to  a  far  different 
purpose.  "  The  old  burghers  would  repair  of  an  afternoon  to  smoke  their 
pipes  under  the  shade  of  their  branches,  contemplating  the  golden  sun,  as 
he  gradually  sunk  in  the  west,   an  emblem    of  that  tranquil  end  toward 
which  themselves  were  hastening ;  while  the  young  men  and  the  damsels 
of  tire  town  would  take  many  a   moonlight  stroll  among   these  favor-te 
haunts,  watching  the  chaste  Cynthia  tremble  along  the  calm  bosom  of  the 
bay,  or  light  up  the  white  sail  of  some  gliding   bark,  and  interchanging 
the  honest  vows  of  constant  affection.     Such  was  the  origin  of  that  re 
nowned  walk,  the  battery,  which,  though  ostensibly  devoted  to  the  pur- 
poses of  war,  has  ever  been  consecrated  to  the  sweet  delights  of  peace."! 
Nor  was  the  enchantment  of  this  scene  confined  to  the  time  of  the  Knick- 
erbocker maidens.     Extended   in  its  limits  ;  inclosed  by   an  iron  railing 
on  the  side  next   the  city,  and  by  an  open  railing  with  stone  posts  on  a 
foundation  of  solid  masonry  on  the  water  side;  laid  out  with  grass  plots 
and  gravel  walks  ;  planted  with  many  additional  trees  ;  and  presenting 
a  view  enlivened  at  different  times  by  the  sails  of  every  nation;  it  draws 
within  its  precincts  by  a  more  irresistible  attraction,  the  young  men   and 
maidens  of  our  own  days,  whose  breasts  are  heaving  with  tender  emotions, 
as  well  as  all,  of  whatever  age,  sex  or   condition  in   life,  who  desire  to 
avoid  the  noise  and  dust  of  the  busy  metropolis.     "  The  favorite  walk  of 
declining  age  ;  the  healthful  resort  of  the  feeble   invalid  ;  the  Sunday  re- 

♦  The  gazetteers  and  all  the  hand-books  call  this  figure  a  crescent.     The  extremi- 
ties instead  of  terminating  in  points  are  wider  than  the  center. 
fW,  Irving. 


32  DESCRIPTION. 


Bowling  Green — City  Park. 


fi-eshment  of  the  dusty  tradesman  ;  the  scene   of  many  a  boyish  gambol 
the  rendezvous  of  many  a  tender  assignation  ;  the  comfort  of  the  citizen; 
the  ornament  of  New  York,  and  the  pride  of  the  lovely  island  of  Man- 
nahatta," — such   is  the   encomium  it  has  justly  earned  from  the   most 
beautiful  of  American  writers. 

The  Bowling  Green,  an  ellipse,  whose  diameters  are  respectively 
two  hundred  and  twenty  and  one  hundred  and  forty  feet,  situated  at  the 
foot  of  Broadway,  likewise  claims  attention  for  many  historical  associa- 
tions. It  was  here  that  the  Knickerbockers  were  accustomed  to  engage  in 
the  sport  of  bowling,  and  hence  originated  the  name  it  still  bears.  On  the 
twenty-first  day  of  August,  1770,  a  procession,  moving  to  the  sound  of 
martial  music  and  the  discharge  of  cannon,  had  celebrated  the  birth  day 
of  the  reigning  monarch,  George  III,  by  erecting  in  the  Bowling  Green, 
a  leaden  equestrian  statue  of  the  King.  Six  years  is  often  a  sufficient 
period  to  shake  the  feelings  of  loyalty.  In  April,  1776,  a  body  of  the 
people,  who  had  strongly  imbibed  the  spirit  of  liberty,  under  the  lead  of 
one  Belden,  overthrew  the  horse  and  his  rider,  and  distributed  the  leaden 
materials  of  which  they  were  composed  among  the  military  companies, 
who  melted  them  into  musket  balls  to  be  used  against  the  soldiers  of  the 
very  king  whom  the  statue  represented.  Previous  to  this  incident,  the  balls 
that  surmounted  the  posts  of  the  iron  railing  inclosing  the  Green  had 
been  broken  off,  and  to  this  day  the  rtiarks  of  violence  remain.  One 
entire  post,  with  its  head  upon  its  shoulders,  still  stands  near  the  southern 
entrance  to  the  Green,  a  memento  of  the  former  glory  of  its  brethren. 
The  Green  is  now  ornamented  with  a  fountain  supplied  by  the  Water 
Works  of  the  city.  The  jets  are  made  to  fall  upon  an  uncouth  mass  of 
rocks  which,  in  the  opinion  of  some,  gives  to  the  scene  a  "wild  and 
picturesque  appearance." 

As  we  proceed  up  Broadway,  the  next  public  groimd  that  meets  our 
view  is  the  "  City  Park,"  bounded  by  Broadway,  Chatham,  Center, 
and  Chambers  streets.  Its  shape  is  tliat  of  a  right  angled  triangle  with 
one  of  the  acute  angles  cut  off  by  a  line  parallel  to  the  opposite  side.  It 
contains  over  eleven  acres,  and  is  surrounded  by  an  iron  fence,  on  a 
plinth  of  brown  freestone,  that  cost  the  city  over  ^15,000.  Four  public 
buildings,  the  City  Hall,  the  New  City  Hall,  the  Hall  of  Records,  and  the 
Rotunda,  formerly  the  Post-Office,  but  now  occupied  by  the  offices  of  the 
Aims-House  Department,  arc  included  within  its  limits.  The  most  interest- 
ing feature  of  the  Park  is  a  large  fountain  near  its  southern  termination, 
which  throws  the  water  in  a  single  stream  to  the  hight  of  seventy  feet. 
The  jets  are  so  arranged  as  to  admit  of  various  combinations,  which  is  far 
more  pleasing  than  a  uniformity  of  the  most  beautiful  figure.  The  basin 
of  the  fountain  is  one  hundred  feet  wide,  and  surrounded  by  a  marble 


I 


DESCRIPTION.  33 


Hudson,  Washington  and  Tompkins  Squares — Union  Place — Gramercy  Park. 

border.  The  space  between  the  basin  and  an  ornamental  iron  railing 
that  surrounds  it  at  the  distance  of  12  feet,  is  embellished  with  shrubs 
and  flowering  plants. 

Hudson  Square,  or  St.  John's  Park,  is  a  highly  ornamented  enclosure, 
of  about  four  acres,  situated  in  front  of  St.  John's  Church,  and  bounded 
by  Hudson,  Laight,  Varick  and  Beach  streets.  It  stands  in  the  name  of 
the  corporation  of  Trinity  Church,  though  it  is  virtually  the  property  of 
the  surrounding  owners  ;  and  its  privileges  are  confined  to  the  proprietors 
and  such  others  as  are  permitted  on  their  recommendation  to  hire  keys  at 
the  annual  charge  of  ten  dollars.  It  is  surrounded  by  an  iron  fence, 
contains  a  most  beautiful  fountain,  and  is  more  abundantly  supplied  with 
shrubs  and  flowers  than  any  other  park  in  the  city. 

Washington  Square,  containing  nine  and  a  half  acres,  bounded  by 
Waverley  Place,  (named  in  honor  of  the  author  of  "Waverley,")  and  Woos- 
ter,  Fourth,  and  McDougal  streets,  was  formed  in  1827  by  adding  to  the 
ground  formerly  used  as  the  Potter's  Field  about  one  half  more  purchased 
of  private  owners.  The  bones  were  collected  and  deposited  in  trenches 
on  the  sides  of  the  square.  Washington  Square,  has  been  until  recently, 
the  principal  military  parade  ground  in  the  city. 

Tompkins  Square,  containing  more  than  ten  acres,  between  Avenues  A 
and  B,  and  Seventh  and  Tenth  Streets,  is  now  used  for  the  exhibition  of 
military  tactics  ;  but  the  trees  have  not  yet  sufficiently  grown  to  render  it 
a  desirable  promenade.  This  portion  of  the  city  is  now  being  rapidly 
settled,  and  Tompkins  Square,  one  of  the  largest  enclosures  on  the  lower 
part  of  the  island,  will  doubtless,  in  a  few  years,  become  a  place  of  fre- 
quent resort. 

Union  Place,  at  the  northern  termination  of  Broadway,  an  ellipse, 
whose  longer  diameter  is  656  feet  and  its  shorter  292  feet,  is  ornamented 
by  an  expensive  iron  fence,  an  elegant  fountain,  and  beautiful  walks 
and  shrubbery.  It  is  surrounded  by  splendid  private  mansions,  some 
of  which  are  of  costly  magnificence,  and  its  vicinity  is  the  most  fash- 
ionable portion  of  the  city. 

Gramercy  Park,  between  the  3d  and  4th  Avenues,  and  20th  and  21st 
Streets,  is  400  feet  long  and  184  wide.  It  is  a  private  park  belonging  to 
the  proprietors  of  the  sixty  adjacent  lots,  having  been  gratuitously  pre- 
sented to  them  in  the  year  1831,  by  Samuel  B,  Ruggles,  Esq.,  to  whom  this 
portion  of  the  city  is  greatly  indebted  for  its  settlement  and  beauty.  The 
trees  and  shrubbery  were  planted  about  twelve  years  since,  under  the  di- 
rection of  Charles  A.  Davis,  Esq.,  and  their  beauty  and  variety  reflect 
much  credit  on  his  judgment  and  taste.  An  elegant  fountain  has  just  been 
completed  at  the  cost  of  about  ^3000.    Though  Gramercy  Park  is  a  priv- 

2* 


34 


DESCRIPTION. 


Hamilton  Square — Table  of  Public  Grounds. 


ileged  Square,  strangers  are  always  accommodated  by  application  for  ad- 
mission to  any  of  the  proprietors. 

Hamilton  Square,  still  further  north,  is  not  yet  regulated,  but  is  noted 
as  the  proposed  location  for  the  Washington  Monument. 

These  are  perhaps  all  the  public  grounds  that  deserve  distinct  consider- 
ation. The  upper  portion  of  the  island  is  much  better  supplied  with  pub- 
lic places  for  exercise  and  recreation,  but  as  most  of  them  are  not  laid 
out  or  regulated,  we  shall  do  no  more  than  include  them  in  the  following  : 

lABLE  OF  THE  AREAS  AND  LOCATIONS  OF  ALL  THE  PARKS  OB  PUBLIC  GROUNDS  OF 

NEW-yORK. 


Ifame, 


Boundaries. 


Shape. 

A 

'■ta. 

-s 

a 

'U   *l 

"«; 

a; 

a,  V> 

Bnttery 

Bowling  Green,  . 

Park, 

Duaue  Park 


Five  Point  Park,. 
Hudson  Square,  .  , 
Washington  Sq.,  . 
Tompkins  Square. 

Union  Place, 

Stuy  vesant  Square, 
Gramercy   Park, . . 
Abingdon  Square, 
Madison  Square,  .. 
Bloomin^'dale  Sq., 
Hamilton  Square, 
Manhattan  Square, 
Observatory  Place, 
Mount  Morris,  .  .  . , 


Battery  PI.,  State  &  Whitehall  sts.  &.  harbor.  Irregular, 

Broadway  at  its  southern  f^rniination Ellipse.., 

Broad'y,  Chambers,  Centreand  Chatham  sts.  Irregular. 
Duane  between  Greenwich  and  Hudson  sts.  Triangle. 
Diiane  between  Washington  and  West  sts. . .  Oblong... 

Little  Water,  Cross  &  Anthony  sts Trianjrie- 

Hudson,  Beach,  Varick  &  Laight  sts NTy.  Sq.. 

Waverlev  PL,  Mr.  Dougal,  4th  &  Wooster  sts  Oblong. .. 

Avenues  A  &  B  <t  7th  &  10th  sts N'ly.  Sq.. 

Broadway  between  14th  &  17th  sts Ellipse.  .. 

Both  side.s  of  2d  Av.  between  15th  &  17th  sts.  Two  Ob's 

:id  &  4th  Avs.  &  20th  &  21st  sts Oblong. .. 

Hudson  &-  Troy  sts.  &  8th  Avenue Triangle. 

5th  Avenue,  Madison  Place,  23d  &  26th  sts. . .  Oblong. .. 
8th  &  9th  Avenues,  and  53d  and  57th  sts.  .  . .  Oi)long. .. 

3d  &  5th  Avenues,  &  66th  &  G9th  sts 2  Obl'gs... 

8th  and  9th  Avenues,  &  77th  &  81st  sts Oblong.... 

4th  &  5th  Avenues  &  89th  &  94th  sts Oblong.... 

Both  Sides  of  5th  Av.  bet.  120  &  124th  sts. . . .  N'ly.  Sq  . 


2 

•)•_ 

2 

(i 

3 

M 

21 

3F 

24 

0 

13 

2 

39 

2 

1 

1 

34 

3 

28 

2 

30 

33 

3 

19 

0 

9 

0 

5 

0 

8 

3 

o 

0 

27 

239 

253 

0 

66 

26 

193 

183 

246 

112 

253 

217 

92 

36 

47 

136 

193 

182 

160 

114 


The  yards  and  cemeteries  that  surround  several  of  the  churches  in  the 
thickly  settled  portion  of  the  city,  may  be  mentioned  as  a  partial  compen- 
sation for  its  deficiency  in  grounds  appropriated  to  public  use ;  but,  as 
they  are  only  open  on  the  Sabbath,  they  little  more  than  serve  the  purpose 
of  relieving  the  eye,  by  their  occasional  patches  of  verdure,  from  the  mo- 
notony of  a  crowded  city. 

Those  who  wish  to  pursue  the  topography  of  the  city  further,  or  ascer- 
tain particulars  respecting  its  plan  or  extent,  are  referred  to  an  accurate 
map  in  the  first  part  of  this  volume.  "We  will,  however,  present  the  fol- 
lowing table  of  distances,  compiled  with  great  care  from  the  Model  of 
New  York,  a  work  which,  considered  merely  as  a  plan  of  the  city,  is  by 
far  the  largest  and  acknowledged  to  bo  the  most  accurate  ever  taken.* 


*  The  plan  of  the  city,  on  which  the  Model  of  New  York  is  constructed,  is  20  by  24 
feet ;  and,  with  the  surrounding  railings,  covers  a  space  23  by  27  feet. 


! 


DESCRIPTION. 


85 


Table  of  Distances. 


TABLE  OF  DISTAIS'CES 

FROM  THE  CITY  HALL  TO  OTHER  NOTED  LOCALITIES  OF  NEW-TORK. 

(These  distances  are  not  right  lines,  but  the  spaces  that  must  be  passed  over  to  reach 
the  points  desig^nated.  Fractions  less  than  one-eijrhth  of  a  itiile  are  disregarded.  The 
streets  and  numbers  of  any  of  the  buildings  or  public  places  contained  in  the  following 
enumeration,  can  be  found  by  reference  to  the  different  parts  of  this  work.) 


LOCALITIES. 


PUBLIC  BUILDINGS  AND  PLACES. 

Merchants'  Exchange 

Custom  House     . 

Po.st  Office  . 

Halls  of  Justice  . 

New-York  Arsenal 

ColumbiaCollege 

New-York  University 

Medical  College  of  N.  Y.  University 

College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 

New-York  [lospital    . 

Bellevue  Hospital 

City  Dispensary  . 

Deaf  and  Dumb  Asylum 

lustitulion  for  the  Blind 

Union  Theological  Seminary 

Prot.  Epis.  Theological  Seminary 

Society  Library  . 

Apprentices'  Library . 

Sailors'  Home 

New-York  Gas  Works 

Alanhatlan  Gas  Works 

Castle  Garden 

Clinton  Hall 

Gothic  Hall 

Minerva  Rooms  . 

Apollo  Saloon 

Coliseum 

New-York  Tattersalls 

American  Art  Union  . 

Distributin?  Reservoir 

Receivin<r  Reservoir  . 

Novelty  Works  . 


DlST. 

DiST. 

Tr-3 

•0*3 

c  s 
a  o 

LOCALITIES. 

S5 

sSi 

S2S 

Ui 

PUBLIC   GROUNDS. 

f 

Battery 

i 

+ 

Bowling  Green 

i 

i 

Hudson  Square 

i 

* 

Washington  Square 

n 

* 

Union  Place     .... 

u 

i 

Tompkins  Square   . 

n 

U 

Gramercy  Park 

2i 

H 

MARKETS. 

i 
2i 

f 
3i 
3i 
If 

i 

i 
i 

Washington  Alarket 

^ 

Fulton                 " 

•I- 

Center                  " 

f 

Catharine           " 

i 

Essex                  " 

H 

Tompkins          " 

n 

Jefferson             " 

2 

HOTELS. 

Aster  House     .... 

* 

American  Hotel 

i 

Lovejoy's        *'         .        .        . 

i 

21 

z 

Franklin  House 

i 

Howard  Hotel      ^  . 

* 

i 

Rathbun's      "... 

* 

i 
i 

Croton             "... 

i 

Trcmont  Temperance  House . 

i 

City   Hotel       .... 

k 

2 

f 

3t 

2i 

Judson's  "        .         .         .         . 

f 

Atlantic    "        .         .         .         . 

i 

United  States  Hotel 

+ 

St.  Charles'          "             .        . 
Florence's            " 

New-York 

1* 

Commercial  Exchange    . 

1 

FERRIES 

Fulton  Ferry 

South  Ferry 

Catharine  Ferry 

Navy  Yard  Ferry 

Staieu  Island  Ferry,  foot  of  Whitehall  St.     . 
Do.         do.     do.      foot  of  Battery  Place     . 
Hoboken  Ferry,  foot  of  Barclay  St. 
Do.        do.      foot  of  Canal  St.    , 
Do.        do.      foot  of  Christopher  St. 
Jersey  City  Ferry,  and  Newark  R.  R.  Depot 
Williamsburg  Ferry,  foot  of  Peck  slip   . 
Do.  do.      foot  of  Grand  St.     . 

Do.  do.     foot  of  Houston  St. 


f 

mile 

1 

it 

i 

(( 

n 

(( 

1 

i( 

7 

(( 

A 

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<( 

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<( 

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(( 

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<< 

2 

If 

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2 

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36 


DESCRIPTION. 


Table  of  Distances — Croton  Water  Works. 


STEAMBOAT    LANDINGS. 

Albany  and  Troy  Steamboat  Landing,  foot  of  Barclay  St.    . 

Do.  do.  do.  do.       foot  of  Cortlandt  St.  . 

Boston,  via.  Newport,  Steamboat  Landing,  Pier  No.  3,  N.  R. 

do.      "     Norwich,  Pr(»vidence  or  Stouiugtou,  foot  of  Battery  Place 

Philadelphia,  foot  of  Liberty  St 

do.     via.     Camden  and  Amboy,  Pier  No.  2,  N.  R. 
New-Haven  and  Hartford  Steamboat  Landings,  foot  of  Peck  Slip 

CHXJECHES. 

Trinity  Church,  Broadway  (Epis.) 

St.  George's  "  Boekmun,  cor.  Cliff  St.  (Epis.)     . 

Grace  "  Broadway,  cor.  Tenth  St.  (Epis.) 

Calvary  "  4th  Avenue,  between  2l.'it  and  22d  Sts.  (Epis.) 

Church  of  the  Annunciation,  14tli  St.  between  6th  and  7th  Avenues  (Epis.) 

Church  of  our  Saviour,  foot  of  Pike  St.  (Epis.  for  seamen)  . 

First  Preobyteriau  Church,  5th  avenue  cor.  11th  St. 

Central  "  "  Broome  near  Elm  St. 

Scotch  "  "  Grand  cor.  Crosby  St. 

Mercer  street  Presbyterian  Church 

Tabernacle,  Broadway,  (Cong.)       ...  .         . 

Church  of  the  Puritans,  Union  Place,  cor.  15th  St.  (Cong.)  . 
North  Dutch  Church,  William,  cor.  Fulton  St.      . 
Dutch  Reformed  Church,  Lafayette  Place,  cor.  4th  St. 

"  "  "         Woostcr  St.  cor.  Washington  Place 

First  Baotist  Church,  Broome,  cor.  Elizabeth 

South     '"  "         84  Nassau  St 

Joiin  Street  Church  (Mcth.) 

North  River  Floalin-,'  Bethel,  foot  of  Rector  St.  (Meth.) 
Miriners'  Church,  73  Roosevelt  St.  .         .  .        . 

Church  of  the  Divine  Unity,  548  Broadway  (Unit.) 

<*         "       3Iessiih,  728  Broadway  (Unit.) 
Universalist  Church,  Bleecker,  cor.  of  Downing  St. 
St.  Peter's  Church,  Barclay  cor.  Church  St.  (Rom.  Cath.)     < 
St.  Patrick's  Cathedral,  Mott,  cor.  Prince  St.  (Rom.  CatU.) 
Jewish  Synagogue,  119  Elm  St 


i  mile 


If 

(t 

2i 

<( 

2t 

i( 

1 

(( 

n 

<i 

* 

« 

i 

i( 

u 

It 

i 

(( 

H 

<< 

i 

(1 

n 

i( 

n 

II 

i 

K 

i 

l( 

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II 

H 

II 

Having  glanced  at  the  external  appearance  of  the  city,  let  us  descend 
beneath  the  surface,  and  see  what  underground  New  York  presents.  If 
the  pavements  of  any  of  the  principal  streets  be  removed  and  an  excava- 
tion of  a  few  feet  made  in  the  earth,  two  sets  of  iron  pipes  appear. 
Let  the  work  of  excavation  be  continued  a  few  feet  deeper,  and  a  culvert 
of  brick  work  is  brought  to  view. 

The  larger  of  these  sets  of  pipes  belongs  to  the  Croton  Water  "Works. 

A  copious  supply  of  good  water  is  the  greatest  blessing  a  city  can  pos- 
sess. It  is  alike  necessary  to  health,  comfort,  and  protection  against  the 
devouring  element. 

This  necessity  early  engaged  the  attention  of  the  legislators  of  New 
York.  In  the  year  1774,  a  project  was  set  on  foot  to  construct  a  city  re- 
servoir on  the  East  side  of  Broadway,  near  its  present  intersection  with 
Franklin  Street,  which  was  to  be  supplied  with  water  forced  up  from  a 
well  by  a  steam  engine.  To  meet  the  necessary  expenditures,  paper 
notes  to  the  amount  of  £2,.')00  were  issued.  Several  of  tlie.se  notes  are 
still  in  existence.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  one  in  the  possession  of 
Issachar  J.  Cozzcns,  Esq. 


DESCRIPTION". 


37 


Croton  Water  Works. 


(Front  of  the  Note.) 

S<  ne^v-york:  avater  avorks.  jj 

Ji [STTS^l 

2\  THIS  NOTE  shall  entitle  the  Bearer  to  the  Sum  of 

.  Current  Monev  of  tho  Colnnv  of  New-York,  pavaliln  on  Demand,  ^ 
*  by  the  MAYOR,  .\LDERMEX.  and  COMMONALTY  of  the  City  ae 
(5^  of  yew-York,  at  the  Office  of  the  Chaniherlaiu  of  the  said  City  of  s^ 
»<  this  Date.  Dated  thn  Fifth  Day  of  March,  in  the  Year  of  our  >© 
9{  Lord  One  Thousand  Seven  Hundred  and  Seventy-six.  >C 

^  By  Order  of  the  Corporation.  ^ 

•S  y  J  1-  ANDW.  GATJTIE.     ^ 

*<  H.  BRASHER.  f® 


$ 


8s. 


<^lfSl^lfS^^}i'S  ^^^¥¥¥^8  s.'S"S^¥^^¥  ^'S'^'€^^lf}f6-^ 


(Back  of  the  Note.) 


a 


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STEAM   ENGIITE. 


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&  ^  ¥¥¥¥TgT¥¥¥7f  ?r?f¥¥¥¥¥T¥Tg"F¥¥¥¥¥¥  g  ^^^^a 

The  Revolutionary  War  gave  the  death  blow  to  this  enterprise. 

From  1785  to  1798,  the  subject  of  supplying  the  cicy  with  water  oc- 
cupied at  intervals  the  attention  of  the  city  councils.  The  sources  relied 
upon,  in  all  the  proposed  schemes,  were  wells  or  springs  on  the  island,  or 
the  Tea  Water  Pump,  at  the  present  corner  of  Pearl  and  Chatham  streets. 
In  1798,  a  report  was  presented  to  the  Common  Council,  by  a  committee 
appointed  to  investigate  the  subject,  recommending  the  introduction  of 
the  waters  of  the  Bronx  River.  An  examination  of  that  river  by  suitable 
engineers  ensued,  and  the  psoject  appeared  likely  to  be  carried  into  effect, 
when  private  speculation  interfered,  and  the  matter  passed  from  the 
hands  of  the  city  authorities.  Aaron  Burr,  at  that  time  a  member  of  the 
Legislature,  applied  for  an  act  of  incorporation  for  a  company  in  whom 
should  be  vested  the  right  of  supplying  the  city  with  water,  with  the 
4 


38  DESCRIPTION. 


Croton  Water  Works. 


privilege  of  using  their  surplus  capital  in  banking.  The  application  was 
successful,  and  the  consent  of  the  city  obtained  to  the  measure  by  the 
permission  to  subscribe  for  two  thousand  shares  of  the  stock.  But  the 
anticipations  of  the  citizens  for  a  supply  of  pure  water  were  not  realized 
The  Manhattan  Company,  it  is  true,  sunk  a  well  within  the  limits  of 
the  city,  and  laid  down  wooden  pipes  in  the  streets  for  the  distribution  of 
the  water :  but,  banking  being  in  fact  the  principal,  instead  of  the 
subordinate  object  of  the  company,  it  could  not  be  expected  that  any 
great  enterprise  would  result  from  its  organization. 

Still  the  matter  was  not  again  seriously  agitated  until  after  the  last 
war  witli  Great  Britain.  Between  the  years  1816  and  1S30,  scarcely  a 
year  passed  without  the  revival  of  an  old  or  the  proposal  of  a  new 
scheme.  The  introductioa  of  the  Bronx  River,  the  boring  of  Artesian 
Wells,  the  bringing  of  the  waters  of  the  Housatonic  River  in  Connecti- 
cut to  the  city  by  an  open  canal,  both  for  the  purposes  of  commerce 
and  of  supplying  the  city  with  water,  and  the  construction  of  a  similar 
canal  to  Sharon,  Connecticut,  are  some  of  the  projects  that  successively 
claimed  the  attention  o-f  the  councils  of  New  York  or  of  the  public. 

In  1829,  the  city  authorities  were  aroused,  in  consequence  of  a  great 
loss  of  property  by  the  fires  of  the  previous  year,  to  the  consideration  of 
a  plan  for  efficiently  providing  the  city  with  water  for  the  extinguish- 
ment of  fires.  It  was  proposed  that  a  reservoir  should  be  constructed  on 
a  rock  in  Thirteenth  street,  and  be  connected  with  hydrants  in  different 
parts  of  the  city  by  means  of  iron  pipes.  Ridicule  was  invoked  to  defeat 
this  scheme.  The  supply  of  water,  it  was  declared,  would  not  fill  a 
tea-kettle,  much  less  answer  the  demands  of  the  city.  "  Give  us  the 
tank  and  pipes,  and  we  engage  to  fill  them,  if  we  have  to  carry  the 
water  in  quart  bottles,"  was  the  reply  of  a  member*  to  whom,  in  a  differ- 
ent oihciaT  capacity,  was  reserved  the  duty,  thirteen  years  afterwards, 
to  fill  this  very  tank,  and  these  same  pipes,  not  by  the  emptying  of  quart 
bottles,  bvxt  by  opening  the  gates  of  a  resistless  torrent.  In  the  mean 
time,  too,  it  was  not  necessary  to  redeem  the  pledge  by  the  provision  of 
the  latter  clause,  and  the  successful  accomplishment  of  the  plan  served  as 
an  incentive  to  one  of  the  noblest  undertakings  of  modern  times. 

After  the  lapse  of  fourteen  years,  in  which  many  schemes  for  the 
general  wants  of  the  city  had  been  devised,  but  none  executed,  a  new 
source  of  supply  in  1830  presented  its  claims  to  the  Common  Council. 
The  introduction  of  the  Croton  river  had  in  former  years  been  incident- 
ally suggesu.'d,  but  the  menioriul  of  Francis  B,  Phelps,  Esq.,  on  the  17th 
of  May  of  that  year,  was  the  first  definite  proposal  for  the  undertaking. 


♦  Samuel  Stevens,  Esq. 


DESCRIPTION.  39 


Croton  Water  Works. 


Nothing,  however,  was  accomplished  until  after  the  examination  of  Col. 
De  Witt  Clinton  in  1832,  made  at  the  request  of  the  Common  Council, 
who,  in  opposition  to  the  opinion  of  all  the  engineers  and  committees 
that  had  investigated  the  subject,  reported  in  favor  of  the  Croton  river 
as  the  only  source  on  which  the  city  should  rely,  when  Major  Douglass, 
a  skillful  engineer,  was  appointed  to  survey  among  other  routes  the  line 
from  the  Croton  to  New  York.  This  survey  in  1833,  made  under  Com- 
missioners appointed  by  the  State,  and  the  subsequent  report,  for  ever 
swept  away  all  traces  of  other  projects. 

It  only  remained  to  be  seen  whether  those  who  were  to  supply  the 
means,  would  abandon  the  enterprize.  In  April,  1835,  a  majority  o[ 
17,330  to  5j9()3  votes  decided  that  the  Croton  should  flow  through  the 
streets.  On  the  4th  of  July,  1842,  the  President  of  the  Board  of  Com- 
missioners opened  the  gates  of  a  new  reservoir,  and  the  river  that  was 
diverted  more  than  forty  miles  from  its  course,  rushed  into  the  pipes  that, 
thirteen  years  before,  had  been  constructed  amid  the  ridicule  ofopj^onents. 

The  sun  never  ascended  the  heavens  more  brilliantly  than  on  the 
morning  of  the  14th  o[  October,  1842.  At  sunrise  might  be  heard  the 
roaring  of  cannon  and  the  pealing  of  bells.  The  day  has  arrived  when 
the  introduction  of  those  waters  that  gush  forth  in  the  streets  and  houses 
of  New  York  shall  be  celebrated  with  demonstrations  of  joy.  At  the 
hour  of  nine  a  splendid  banner,  representing  on  one  side  Neptune  as 
having  achieved  a  victory  over  the  Demon  of  Fire,  and  on  the  other  the 
Queen  of  Cities  pointing  to  the  noble  work  that  had  just  been  completed, 
was  presented  with  due  ceremonies  by  the  Mayor,  in  behalf  of  the 
Common  Council,  to  the  oflicers  and  members  of  the  Fire  Department. 
At  ten  o'clock  a  military  and  civic  procession,  seven  miles  in  length, 
with  flying  banners  and  lively  music,  left  the  Battery.  The  progress  of 
the  glittering  pageant  was  greeted  with  the  sudden  opening  of  beautiful 
fountains,  and  the  shouts  of  the  joyous  people.  At  half  past  four 
o'clock,  the  different  divisions  of  the  procession,  having  passed  through 
the  principal  streets,  were  arranged  in  the  Park  to  listen  to  the  addresses 
of  Samuel  Stevens  and  J.  L.  Lawrence,  Esqrs.,  the  former  of  whom,  as 
President  of  the  State  Board  of  Water  Commissioners,  committed  to  the 
latter,  as  President  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct  Board,  the  custody  of  the  stu- 
pendous work  just  completed.  The  following  ode,  written  lor  the  oc- 
casion by  Gen.  Geo.  P.  Morris,  was  then  sung  by  the  members  of  the 
New  York  Sacred  Music  Society  around  the  gushing  waters  of  the  Park 
Fountain. 


40 


DESCRIPTION. 


Croton  Water  Works. 


I. 

*'  Gushing  from  this  living  fountain, 

Music  pours  :i  fiilling  strain, 
As  the  Goddess  of  the  Mountain 

Conies  willi  all  her  sparkling  train; 
From  her  grotto-springs  advancing, 

Glitioring  in  lier  feathery  spray, 
Woodland  lays  beside  Iier  dancing, 

She  pursues  her  winding  way.' 

II. 

"  Gently  o'er  the  rippling  water, ' 

In  her  coral  shalloj)  bright, 
Glides  the  rock-king's  dove-eyed  daughter, 

Deck'd  in  robes  of  virgin  white. 
Nymphs  and  n;iiads,  sweetly  smiling, 

Urge  her  back  with  pearly  hand, 
Merrily  the  sylph  beguiling 

From  the  uooks  of  fairy  land. 

III. 

•'  Swimming  on  the  snow-curled  billow, 

See  the  river  spirits  fair, 
Lay  their  checks,  as  on  a  pillow, 

With  the  foam-beads  in  their  hair. 
Thus  attended,  hither  wending, 

Floats  the  lovely  Oread  now, 
Eden's  arch  of  promise  bending 

Over  her  translucent  brow. 

IV. 

•'Ilail  the  wanderer  from  a  far-land  I 

Bind  her  flowing  tresses  up! 
Crown  her  with  a  fadeless  garland, 

Aud  with  crystal  brim  the  cup. 


From  her  haunts  of  deep  seclusion, 
Let  Intemperance  greet  her  too. 

And  the  heat  of  hi.s  delusion 

Sprinkle  with  this  mountain-dew. 


"Water  leaps  as  if  delighted. 

While  her  coiuiuered  foes  retire! 
Pale  Contagion  Hies  affrighted 

Willi  the  ballled  demon,  Fire  ! 
Safety  dwells  in  her  dominions, 

Health  and  Beauty  with  her  move, 
And  entwine  their  circling  piuioug 

In  a  si.^terhood  of  love. 

VI. 

"Water  shouts  a  glad  hosannaf 

Bubbles  up  the  Earth  to  bless  ! 
Cheers  it  like  the  precious  manna, 

In  the  barren  wilderness. 
Here  we  wondering  sraze,  assembled 

Like  the  grateful  Hebrew  band, 
When  the  hidden  fountain  trembled, 

And  obeyed  the  Prophet's  wand. 

VIL 

"Round  the  aqueducts  of  story, 

As  the  mists  of  Lethe  throng, 
Croton's  waves,  in  all  their  glory, 

Trooj)  in  melody  along. 
Ever  sparkling,  bright,  and  single, 

Will  this  rock-ribbnd  stream  apjiear, 
When  posterity  shall  mingle         m 

Like  the  gathered  waters  here." 


When  the  voices  of  the  performers  ceased,  the  voices  of  the  wliole  mul- 
titude were  raised,  and  the  ceremonies  of  the  day  closed  with  nine 
hearty  cheers. 

The  Croton  Aqueduct  is  a  conduit  of  the  most  solid  masonry.  Com- 
mencing about  six  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Croton  River,  a  stream 
of  the  greatest  purity,  where  the  water  is  raised  40  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  river,  and  1G6  feet  above  mean  tide,  by  means  of  a  dam,  it  follows 
the  course  of  the  Croton  nearly  to  its  mouth  ;  and  then  passes  along  the 
banks  of  the  Hudson,  with  a  general  declivity  of  about  13  1-4  inches 
per  mile.  It  crosses  the  Harlem  River  on  a  magnificent  and  lofty  bridge 
of  stone,  1450  feet  long,  and  114  feet  above  the  level  of  high  water, 
and  thence  proceeds  through  the  Manhattan  and  Clendening  Valleys,  and 
the  intervening  high  grounds,  to  the  receiving  reservoir  at  SGth  Street  in 
Yorkville.  The  masonry  then  gives  place  to  iron  pipes,  through  which 
the  water  is  conveyed  about  two  miles  farther  to  the  distributing  re- 
servoir on  Murray  Hill,  in  42nd  Street.  From  this  point  the  principal 
distributing  pipes  proceed  to  the  extremities  of  the  city,  sending  forth 
at  almost  every  corner,  branches  that  penetrate  the   various  streets,  and 


DESCRIPTION.  41 


Croton  Water  Works. 


in  their  turn  send  forth  subordinate  branches  that  deliver  the  water  into 
the  houses  of  the  citizens.  The  length  of  the  aqueduct  to  the  distribut- 
ing reservoir  is  40  1-2  miles,  but  adding  five  miles  for  the  length  of  the 
reservoir  or  lake,  called  Croton  Lake,  created  by  the  erection  of  the 
dam,  and  four  miles  for  the  length  of  the  main  pipes  extending  to  the 
most  southern  portion  of  the  city,  and  the  whole  length  of  the  Croton 
aqueduct  may  be  estimated  at  about  fifty  miles. 

The  formation  of  the  country  through  which  the  aqueduct  passes  pre- 
sented unusual  obstacles  to  the  construction  of  such  a  work.  It  was  ne- 
cessary to  cut  down  hills  and  fill  up  valleys,  to  cross  streams  and  pierce 
through  rocks.  On  the  line  of  the  aqueduct  are  1 14  culverts,  with  an 
aggregate  length  of  7,959  feet,  and  16  tunnels,  varying  from  IGO  to  1,263 
lectin  length,  whose  aggregate  length  is  6,841  feet. 

The  dimensions  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct  are  ample.  At  its  completion, 
the  Commissioners  and  Engineers  *  accomplished  a  journey  through  its 
whole  length  on  foot.  At  the  introduction  of  the  water,  a  similar  voyage 
made  by  four  persons  in  the  "  Croton  Maid,"  a  boat  prepared  for  the 
purpose,  gave  evidence  that  no  insignificant  stream  was  flowing  into  the 
city.  The  greatest  interior  width  of  the  aqueduct  is  7  feet  5  inches, 
and  its  greatest  interior  height  8  feet  5  1-2  inches.  It  is  capable  of  dis- 
charging 60,000,000  gallons  daily.  The  Croton  Lake  covers  an  area 
of  about  400  acres,  and  contains  500,000,000  gallons.  The  minimum 
flow  of  water  from  the  Croton  is  27,000,000  gallons  daily,  and  with  the 
aid  of  the  lake,  would  supply  in  long  continued  drought  35,000,000  gal- 
lons daily,  which  would  be  more  than  sufficient  for  twice  the  present  po- 
pulation of  New  York  ;  and,  if  it  ever  becomes  necessary,  other  reservoirs 
can  be  constructed  on  the  river  that  would  furnish  to  the  acqueduct  a 
supply  beyond  its  capacity  for  delivery.  The  receiving  reservoir  is 
bounded  by  6th  and  7th  Avenues,  and  79th  and  S6th  Streets,  covering 
an  area  of  35  acres,  and  containing  150,000,000  gallons.  The  distribut- 
ing reservoir  is  located  on  the  5th  Avenue,  between  40th  and  42d  Streets, 
and  contains  20,000,000  gallons.  These  reservoirs,  as  well  as  the  Har- 
lem river  bridge,  are  objects  of  great  interest,  and  often  visited  by  citizens 
and  strangers. 

In  magnitude  of  design  and  solidity  of  construction,  the  Croton  Aque- 
duct throws  into  the  shade  all  similar  structures  of  modern  times,  and 
even  rivals  the  Aqua  Marcia  and  the  Anio  Novus  of  ancient  Rome.  As 
an  instance  of  the  liberality  and  enterprize  of  a  free  people  it  stands  pre- 
eminent. It  was  constructed  by  a  single  city,  during  a  period  of  great 
commercial  embarrassment,  and  in  the  face  of  great  natural  difficulties, 

*  The  Chief  Engineer  was  John  B.  Jervis,  Esq. 


42 


DESCRIPTION. 


Croton  Water  Works — New-York  Gas  Works. 


while  yet  in  the  infancy  of  its  growth.  The  citizens  of  New- York  have 
not  been  satisfied  with  simply  supplying  their  own  wants  at  a  moderate 
cost.  They  have  acted  for  the  benefit  of  future  generations.  The  successful 
accomplishment  of  this  gigantic  undertaking,  at  the  enormous  expense 
of  nine  millions  of  dollars,  has  aflbrded  them  more  satisfaction  than 
they  could  have  derived  from  any  project,  however  small  the  required 
expenditure,  that  would  merely  have  provided  for  the  present  or  the  early 
future.  They  are,  however,  by  no  means  insensible  to  the  great  bless- 
ings immediately  conferred  by  this  noble  work.  Their  experience  has 
already  shown  them  that  sobriety  and  cleanliness  have  been  promoted, 
convenience  and  comfort  enhanced,  the  power  of  disease  lessened,  the  fa- 
cilities of  mechanical  operations  increased,  and  a  protection  against  the 
ravages  of  fire  secured.  But  it  is  peculiarly  for  other  times  that  the  Cro- 
ton rolls  its  waves  into  the  heart  of  a  populous  city.  When  the  whole 
island  of  New- York  shall  be  peopled  with  inhabitants,  and  the  experience 
of  years,  and  perhaps  of  ages,  shall  have  discovered  a  thousand  advan- 
tages not  yet  conceived  of,  and  suggested  a  thousand  new  uses  to  which 
it  may  be  made  subservient,  then,  and  not  till  then,  can  the  value  of  the 
Croton  Aqueduct  be  duly  appreciated.  And  when,  in  ages  still  more  re- 
niote,  other  monuments  of  art  shall  have  crumbled  into  dust,  or  present 
the  mere  traces  of  their  former  greatness,  will  the  river  sweep  through  its 
enduring  channels  of  masonry, 

"  Monumentum  sere  perennius  "* 
of  the  glory  of  New  York. 

But  in  our  subterranean  search  we  discovered  another  set  of  pipes 
smaller  than  those  used  for  the  distribution  of  the  Croton  Water.  Through 
these  is  conveyed  the  gas  used  for  lighting  the  city.  Two  companies  sup- 
ply this  gas,  the  New- York  Gas  Light  Co.  and  theManhattan  Gas  Light  Co. 

The  New- York  Gas  Light  Company  was  incorporated  in  1S23,  with  a 
capital  of  one  million  of  dollars,  in  shares  of  $^50  each.  By  an  agreement 
with  the  municipal  authorities,  the  company  obtained  the  exclusive  right, 
under  certain  conditions,  to  supply  with  gas,  for  thirty  years,  all  that  part 
of  the  city  that  lies  south  of  a  line  running  from  the  East  River,  through 
Grand-street  to  Sullivan-street,  through  Sullivan-street  to  Canal-street, 
and  through  Canal-stroct  to  the  North  River.  The  principal  streets,  most 
of  the  stores,  and  many  other  buildings  arc  thus  lighted.  The  works  of 
this  Company  are  on  the  corner  of  Canal  and  Center  streets,  and  on  the 
corner  of  Hester  and  Center  streets;  but  they  will  soon  be  removed  to  new 
buildings  on  the  East  River,  between  Twenty-first  and  Twenty-second 
streets,  that  are  nearly  completed. 

•  A  monnmont  more  enduring  than  brass. 


DESCRIPTION.  43 

Manhattan  Gas  Works — Sewers. 

The  Manhattan  Gas  Light  Company  received  its  charter  Feb.  2t5,  1S30. 
Its  original  capital  was  five  hundred  thousand  dollars,  consisting  of  shares 
of  $50  each,  but  on  the  29th  of  April,  1S47,  it  was  increased  by  act  of  the 
Legislature  to  one  million  of  dollars.  It  enjoys,  by  virtue  of  a  contract  with 
the  Corporation  similar  to  that  of  the  New-York  Gas  Light  Company, 
made  the  fifth  day  of  May,  1^48,  the  sole  privilege  of  lighting  for  twenty 
years  all  that  portion  of  the  city  that  lies  north  of  the  district  assigned  to 
that  Company.  The  ^Manhattan  Gas  Works  are  situated  at  the  foot  of 
Eighteenth-street,  North  River. 

The  gas  furnished  by  these  companies  is  measured  by  a  piece  of  me- 
chanism, called  a  meter,  which  is  attached  to  each  building.  Connected 
with  the  ineter  is  a  cylinder  or  drum,  divided  into  compartments,  each 
holding;  a  certain  portion  ol  a  cubic  foot.  The  passage  of  the  gas  causes 
this  drum  to  revolve  on  an  axis,  which  gives  motion  to  the  wheel  work  of 
an  index  by  which  the  number  of  cubic  feet  of  gas  consumed  is  indicated. 
A  visit  to  the  Gas  Works,  which  are  open  to  public  inspection,  will  well 
reward  the  curious. 

The  appearance  which  New-York  presents  on  a  dark  evening,  illumin- 
ated by  its  thousands  of  bright  lights,  is  in  striking  contrast  with  the  exhi- 
bition of  the  first  methods  of  lighting  the  city.  How  would  New-Yorkers  be 
satisfied  were  every  housekeeper  ordered  to  place  lights  in  the  windows 
fronting  the  respective  streets  in  the  dark  time  of  the  moon  under  the  penalty 
of  nine-pence  for  each  night  of  default,  or,  were  it  enacted,  as  an  improve- 
ment on  this  ordinance,  that  every  seventh  house  should  hang  out  a  pole 
with  a  lantern  and  candle,  and  the  intermediate  six  houses  share  propor- 
tionally in  the  expense.  And  yet  these  two  methods  of  illumination  guided 
the  pathway  of  the  evening  traveler  in  New- York  at  the  commencement 
of  the  last  century,* 

In  addition  to  the  water  and  gas  pipes,  we  beheld,  at  some  distance  be- 
low the  surface  of  the  ground,  a  covered  canal,  which,  from  its  size,  seemed 
intended  for  an  important  purpose.  This  was  one  of  the  sewers  used 
for  the  drainage  of  the  city.  The  sewers  are  constructed  of  hard  brick 
with  the  joints  laid  close  and  filled  with  mortar.  In  some  cases  hydraulic 
cement  is  used;  and,  when  necessary,  there  is  a  plank  foundation.  They 
are  from  three  to  nine  feet  in  diameter,  about  thirteen  feet  below  the  sur- 
face of  the  ground,  and  run  through  many  of  the  streets. 

Such  are  the  general  features  in  a  hasty  glance  at  the  metropolis.     Let 
us  see  by  what  inmates  this  vast  "  human  hive"  is  peopled. 

*  City  Records. 


CHAPTER  II. 


POPULATION. 

The  French  are  descended  from  tlie  ancient  Gauls,  the  Germans  from 
the  old  Teutonic  race,  the  English  from  the  Anglo  Saxons  and  the  Britons  ; 
but  Americans — the  blood  of  all  nations  courses  the  veins  of  Americans. 
We  have  extended  our  open  arms  to  all  lands,  and  their  superabundant 
population  has  found  a  welcome  to  our  shores. 

Of  all  places  on  the  American  continent,  the  metropolis  presents  the  great- 
est diversity.  Here  and  there  may  be  seen  the  scattered  remains  of  the  old 
Knickerbocker  race,  who,  in  some  degree,  preserve  their  identity,  and  look 
Math  jealous  eye  upon  the  innovations  of  their  Eastern  neighbors,  whose 
enterprize  and  activity  have  nearly  engrossed  the  whole  trade  of  the  city. 
But  New-York  is  pre-eminently  the  point  to  which  foreigners  direct  their 
course.  All  races,  from  "  the  green  isle  of  the  ocean"  to  the  scorching 
sands  of  the  desert,  may  find  their  representatives  in  this  comprehensive 
emporium. 

Diversity  is  not  the  only  peculiar  feature  of  the  poi^ulation  of  New- York. 
It  is  numerous.  Nearly  half  a  million  of  human  beings  now  people  the 
shores  that  two  centuries  ago  wei^  trod  by  a  few  hundred  traders.  About 
nineteen  twentieths  of  this  increase  has  accrued  since  the  revolution,  under 
the  influence  of  republican  institutions,  presenting  an  instance  of  growth 
in  population  not  to  be  met  with  in  the  history  of  any  country  of  the  old 
world. 

Quinquennial  enumerations  are  made  of  the  population  of  New- York  ; 
the  general  government  taking  a  census  every  ten  years,  and  the  State  cveiy 
alternate  five  years. 

The  following  tabltt,  exhibiting  its  population  at  dilferent  periods  since 
the  year  1G5G,  is  a  history  of  its  rapid  growth  : — 


YEARS.  POPTTLATrON. 

1 6r)G .'  i  ;ooo 

]()T3 2.500 

Um 4,302 

]7:n 8,(i28 

i7r,() io,;{si 

177:$ 21.870 

1786 2;i,riiJ 

17110 :n,i:{i 

1800 G0,48S) 


YEARS.  POPULATION 

"^  1 8057.77. 75,.'")76 

1810 m:M:i 

18l() 100,61!) 

18-20 12:J,706 

182.') 166.086 

18:i0 20i.',5S!) 

is:?.! 270,08!) 

1840 :{12,8.")2 

1815 371,223 


POPULATION". 


45 


Census  of  1845. 


By  this  table  we  see  that  the  population  of  New- York  in  1845  was 
371,223.  It  doubtless  now  considerably  exceeds  400,000.  By  the  census 
of  1845,  there  were  in  the  city. 


180,472  males. 
190,751  females. 

63,927  voters. 
128,492  forei'^iiers. 

12,913  colored  persons. 
1,957  paupers. 


57,P04  married  females  under  45  yrs. 
45,(574  uiuiiarried  between  IG  and  45  years. 
70,003  children  between  5  and  16  years. 

2,5)G  marriag-es  during  the  year. 
13,231  birliis,  "  " 

6,293  deaths.  "  « 


It  is  interesting  to  look  back  to  estimates  made  in  former  years,  as  to  the 
probable  population  of  New- York  in  1850,  and  find  the  prophecies  of  the 
most  sanguine  more  than  fulfilled  by  the  reality  ;  and,  while  the  causes  of 
its  rapid  increase  in  population  still  exist,  we  are  justified  in  making  large 
calculations  for  its  future  growth.  But  we  are  getting  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  juescnt,  and  \ve  therefore  pass  onto  ascertain,  how  the  dissimilar 
elements  that  compose  the  population  of  New- York,  are  kept  in  a  state  of 
order  and  tranquillity. 


CHAPTER   III, 


GOVERNMENT. 

The  problem  of  most  governments  has  been,  how  shall  the  people  be 
kept  in  due  subjection  ;  and  this  problem  has  often  been  solved  in  blood. 
But  the  question  has  never  arisen  in  the  councils  of  New- York,  whether 
force  or  persuasion  were  the  best  means  of  strengthening  authority.  The 
people  have  taken  it  for  granted,  and  have  acted  on  the  conviction,  that 
they  were  capable  of  governing  themselves — an  idea  that  seems  to  have 
never  entered  the  minds  of  monarchs  or  aristocrats. 

It  is  now  admitted  among  republicans,  that  a  government  in  which  the 
legislative  power  is  vested  in  two  bodies,  acting  in  a  measure  indepen- 
dently of  each  other,  and  each  opposing  checks  to  the  power  of  the  other, 
is  the  safest  and  most  stable.  Our  municipal  governments,  as  well  as 
those  of  the  States,  and  of  the  Union,  are  founded  upon  this  principle. 
New-York  furnishes  no  exception.  Its  charter  vests  the  legislative  autho- 
rity in  a  Board  of  Aldermen  and  a  Board  of  Assistant  Aldermen,  who  to- 
gether form  tlie  Common  Council  of  the  City.  These,  with  the  Mayor,  who 
represents  the  executive  power,  are  elected  on  the  second  Tuesday  in 
April  of  each  year,  and  are  sworn  into  ofhce  on  the  second  Tuesday  in 
May  thereafter.  The  city  is  divided  into  eighteen  Wards,  each  of  which 
is  entitled  to  elect  one  Alderman  and  one  Assistant  Alderman.  Its  juris- 
diction extends  to  the  surrounding  waters  as  far  as  low  water  mark  on 
the  opposite  shores.* 

The  buildings  situated  in  the  Park  form  the  central  point  of  the  City 
Government  and  of  the  administration  of  ju.stic\ 

The  City  Halt.,  one  of  the  most  imposing  edifices  in  the  Union,  stands 
nearly  in  the  center  of  the  Park,  with  a  spacious  area  around  it.  Its  cor- 
nerstone was  laid  September  20,  1S03,  with  due  ceremonies,  for  the  ex- 
pense of  which,  the  certainly  not  extravagant  appropriation  of  fifty  dollars 
was  made.  It  was  completed  in  1812,  at  an  expense  of  $538,734.  The 
citizens  of  New-York  were  then  more  moderate  in  their  calculations,  as  to 

•  City  Charter. 


GOVERNMENT.  47 


Public  Buildings — Police  Department. 


the  growth  of  the  city,  than  at  present.  The  rear  of  the  City  Hall  would, 
in  their  opinion,  never  be  seen  by  many  residing  above  Chambers-street. 
Accordingly,  while  the  front  and  ends  of  the  building  were  constructed  of 
white  marble,  they  exhibited  their  economy  by  building  the  rear  of  brown 
freestone.  The  City  Hall  consists  of  two  stories  of  the  Ionic  and  Corin- 
thian orders.  Its  length  is  216  feet,  its  width  105  feet,  and  its  height  65 
feet.  A  cupola,  of  the  Composite  order,  surmounted  by  a  colossal  figure 
of  Justice,  rises  from  the  center  of  the  roof.  In  the  rear  of  this,  is  a  smaller 
cupola,  containing  a  bell,  weighing  9.800  pounds,  used  for  sounding 
alarms.*  This  building  contains  the  Council  Chambers  of  the  different 
Boards  of  the  City  Government,  the  Governor's  Room,  the  apartments  of 
most  of  the  Courts  of  Law,  and  various  Public  Offices.  The  Governor's 
Room,  and  the  rooms  of  the  Common  Council,  are  furnished  in  an  elegant 
manner,  and  decorated  with  the  portraits  of  characters,  eminent  in  the 
annals  of  the  City  or  of  the  Country. 

The  Hall  of  Records,  standing  east  of  the  City  Hall,  and  somewhat 
in  the  rear,  was  formerly  the  Debtors'  Prison,  and  not  an  elegant  structure. 
While  the  cholera  raged  in  the  city,  in  1832,  it  was  used  as  a  hospital. 
Having  been  remodelled,  and  stuccoed  in  imitation  of  white  marble,  it  is 
now  a  beautiful  specimen  of  architecture.  A  colonnade  of  six  Ionic 
columns  adorns  each  end  of  the  building,  which  is  constructed  after  the 
model  of  the  temple  at  Ephesus.  Its  length  is  104,  and  its  width  62  feet. 
As  its  name  indicates,  it  is  the  depository  of  the  archives  of  the  City,  but 
it  likewise  contains  many  public  ofiices. 

Th3  New  City  Hall,  a  plain  building,  260  feet  long  and  49  feet  wide, 
standing  on  Chambers-street,  in  the  rear  of  the  City  Hall,  was  formerly  the 
Alms  House,  but  nowcontains  the  rooms  of  the  United  States  District  and 
the  Marine  Courts  and  various  offices. 

But  in  New- York  it  is  not  merely  found  necessary  to  enact  laws  and 
affix  to  them  proper  penalties  ;  a  most  efficient  organization  for  the  pre- 
vention of  crime  and  the  detection  of  offenders  is  indispensible.  A  large 
city  furnishes  peculiar  facilities  for  the  operations  of  the  thief  and  the  bur- 
glar. For  the  safety  of  life  and  property,  it  is  necessary  that  due  precau- 
tions should  be  taken  to  guard  every  point,  and  energetic  efforts  made  to 
ferret  out  from  their  lurking-places,  those  who  live  by  depredations  upon 
their  fello  v-men. 

The  Police  Department  of  the  City  of  New-York  furnishes  this  safe- 
guard to  the  citizens.  It  is  under  the  supervision  of  the  Mayor  and  Com- 
mon Council.     The  head  of  the  department  is  called  the  Chief  of  Police, 

*  This  is  undoubtedly  the  largest  bell  in  the  country. 


48 


GOVERNMENT. 


Police  Department. 


and  has  for  several  years  been  represented  in  the  person  of  Geo.  W.  Matsell, 
Esq.,  whose  office  is  at  the  S.  W.  corner  of  the  New  City  Hall.  Each 
Ward  contains  a  Police  Station  House,  and  is  a  patrol  district  to  which 
is  assigned  a  particular  number  of  Policemen,  under  the  superintendence 
of  a  Captain  and  two  Assistant  Captains  of  the  Police.  The  following 
TABLE  gives  the  locations  of  all  the  Station  Houses  in  the  City. 


1st  Ward,  Franklin  Market,  up  stairs. 
2d  Ward,  60  Gold  street. 
3d  Ward,  38  Robinson  street. 
4th  Ward,  31  Roosevelt  street. 
5lii  Ward,  48  Leonard  street. 
6th  Ward,  Halls  ot"  Justice. 
7th  Ward,  corner  of  Pike  and  South  sts. 
8th  Ward,  cor.  of  Prince  and  Wooster  sts. 
9th  Ward,  Jefferson  31arket. 
10th  Ward,  Essex  Market. 


11th  Ward,  Union  Market. 

l'2th  Ward,  3  station  iiouses — House  of  De- 
tention, Harlem,  Bloominjjdale, 
and  Yorkville. 

13th  Ward  cor.  Attorney  and  Delancey  sts. 

14th  Ward,  Center  Market. 

15th  Ward,  220  Mercer  street. 

16tii  Ward,  20th  st.  bet.  7tli  and  8th  av. 

17th  Ward,  cor.  of  Third  st.  and  Bowery. 

18th  Ward,  29th  st.  between  4th  aud  5th  uv. 


For  the  convenience  of  the  public  certain  stations  are  also  desig- 
nated in  each  Ward,  where  a  Policeman  can  always  be  found  on  duty 
from  sunrise  to  sunset  according  to  the  following  table  of  the 

DAY  STATIONS  OF  POLICEMEN. 

'  First  Waud, — Merchants'  Exchange  on  Wall  street.  Post  Office,  and  South  Ferry. 

Skcond  Ward. —  Broadway,  corner  of  Ann  street,  and  at  Fulton  Ferry. 

Third  Ward. — Cortlaiidt  street  Ferry,  and  Barclay  street  Ferry.     ^ 

Fourth  Ward. — Peck  Slip  Ferry,  and  at  Catharine  Ferry. 

Fifth  Ward. — Broadway,  corner  of  Canal  street,  aud  West  street,  corner  of  Hobo- 
ken  street. 

Sixth  Ward. — Bowery,  corner  of  Bayard  street,  at  the  Five  Points,  (2  Policemen,) 
in  the  Park,  and  on  east  side  of  Broadway,  from  Park  to  Canal  street. 

Seventh  Ward. — East  Broadway,  coruer  of  Catharine  street,  aud  Walnut,  corner 
of  ftlonroe  street. 

Eighth  Ward. — South-west  corner  of  Laurens  aud  Grand  streets,  and  North-west 
corner  of  Charlton  and  Varick  streets. 

Ninth  Ward. — Christopher  street  Ferry,  and  corner  of  Horatio  and  Fourth  streets. 

Tenth  Ward. — Bowery,  corner  of  Grand  street,  and  Allen,  corner  of  Division  street. 

Eleventh  Ward. — Houston  street  Ferry,  and  Tenth  street,  corner  of  Avenue  D. 

Twelfth  Ward. — 42d  street,  and  Manhattanville,  corner  of  Bloominsrdalc  Road. 

Thirteenth  AVard. — Clinton,  corner  of  Division  streets,  and  at  Grand  street  Ferry. 

Fourteenth  Ward. — Bowery,  coruer  of  Broome  street,  aud  Mulberry,  coruer  of 
Walker  street. 

FiFTKENTH  Ward. — University  Place,  corner  of  Twelfth  street. 

Sixteenth  Ward. — 30th  street,  coruer  of  7th  Avenue,  and  3rfth  street,  corner  9th 
Avenue. 

Seventeenth  Ward. — Houston,  corner  of  First  street,  and  3d  Avenue,  corner  of 
10th  street. 

Eighteenth  Wakd. — East  16tli  street,  corner  of  Ist  Avenue,  and  at  Union  Square. 


The  police  department  of  New-York  numbers  about  nine  hundred  men, 
and  is  kept  on  foot  at  an  annual  expense  of  more  than  half  a  iniiliou  of 
dollars.  So  perfect  is  the  organization  that  those  that  frequent  the  haunts 
of  vice,  are  watched,  and  the  proofs  of  their  identification  obtained  ; 
and  seldom  is  it  possible  for  a  noted  offender  to  remain  undetected  in  the 
city. 


GOVERNMEXT.  49 


Police  Department. 


Connected  with  the  police  department  are  three  police  courts.  To 
designate  the  limits  of  the  jurisdiction  of  each  court,  the  city  is  divided 
into  three  districts  ;  tlie  First,  Second,  Third,  Fourth,  Fifth  and  Sixth 
"Wards  composing  the  first;  the  Eighth,  Ninth,  Twelfth,  Fifteenth,  Six- 
teenth and  Eighteenth  Wards  composing  the  second  ;  and  the  Seventh, 
Tenth,  Eleventh,  Thirteenth,  Fourteenth  and  Seventeenth  Wards  com- 
posing the  third  district.  The  police  office  of  the  first  district  is  at  the 
Halls  of  Justice,  in  Center-street ;  that  of  the  second  at  Jefierson  Market; 
and  that  of  the  third  at  Essex  Market.  Two  justices  are  attached  to 
each  court,  whose  duties  are  to  examine  otTenders,  and  to  commit  them, 
if  there  be  sufficient  proof  of  their  crime,  to  the  Court  of  Sessions. 
Transgressors,  of  every  age,  sex,  color  and  condition  of  life,  are  brought 
before  these  courts  of  examination,  to  answer  to  the  charges  preferred 
against  them.  Probably  there  could  be  no  better  scene  for  observing  the 
varied  modifications  of  human  character. 

The  Halls  of  Justice,  embracing  the  whole  of  the  block  boimded  by- 
Center,  Leonard,  Elm  and  Franklin  streets,  are  the  center  of  the  police 
operations  of  the  city.  The  main  edifice,  devoted  to  court  and  police 
rooms  and  offices  connected  with  the  department,  stands  on  Center-street 
and  forms,  with  several  smaller  buildings  and  walls  on  the  lines  of  the 
other  streets,  an  enclosure  containing  the  house  of  detention,  in  which 
prisoners  awaiting  trial  are  confined.  The  buildings  are  of  Egyptian 
architecture,  and  constructed  of  a  light  colored  granite :  but  the  idea 
of  gloom  in  their  appearance  has  given  to  them  the  general  appellation  of 
"  The  Tombs."  The  whole  block  is  253  feet  3  inches  long,  and  200  feet 
5  inches  wide.  The  house  of  detention  is  142  feet  long,  and  45  wide, 
and  contains  148  cells  for  prisoners.  Strangers  or  citizens  are  allowed 
admission  to  the  different  departments  between  the  hours  of  10  A.  M. 
and  3  P.M.  The  friends  of  prisoners  are  allowed  to  visit  them  daily. 
The  low  tract  of  ground  that  forms  the  site  of  the  Halls  of  Justice  and 
the  surrounding  buildings,  was  formerly  a  fresh  water  pond,  called  "  the 
Collect,"  or,  according  to  the  Dutch  orthography,  "  the  Kolck,"  having  an 
outlet  by  a  creek  that  ran  along  the  present  line  of  Canal-street  to  the 
North  River.  But  the  creek  and  the  surrounding  marshes  exist  now 
only  in  history  ;  and  the  solid  ground  to  which  they  have  given  place,  is 
covered  with  crowded  blocks  of  buildings.  The  foundations  for  the 
Halls  of  Justice  were  rendered  secure,  by  sinking  heavy  timbers  for  some 
distance  below  the  water  level,  and  by  introducing  inverted  arches  into 
the  masonry.  A  short  visit  to  this  abode  of  the  vicious,  will  convince 
the  most  incredulous  of  the  activity  of  the  police  department  as  it  regards 
offenders.  3 


50  GOVERNMENT. 


Police  Di^partmeiit. 


The  enibrciag  of  criminal  laws  does  not  embrace  all  the  duties  of  the 
police  department.  There  are  various  enactments  regulating  parti- 
cular lines  of  business,  the  supervision  of  which  belon'i^s  to  the  Police.  Of 
these,  the  principal  are  those  relating  to  Hackney  Coaches,  Carts,  Omni- 
buses and  Markets. 

The  follo.ving  are  the  legal  rates  of  carriage  fare,  of  porterage,  and  of 

REGULATIONS  AND  RATES  OF  FARE 

OF  HACKNEY  COACHES  AND  CARRIAGES. 

1.  For  convpying  a  passeiiirer  any  distance  not  excpodin?  one  mile,  twenty-five 
cents  ;  for  convoyiii?  two  passengers  the  same  distance,  fifty  cents,  or  twenty-five  cents 
each;  and  every  additional  passenirer,  twenty-five  cents. 

2.  For  convpyin,'  a  p  issenrer  any  distance  pxceedin?  a  mile,  and  witbia  two  miles, 
fifty  Cf>nts  ;  and  for  every  additional  passenger  twenty-five  cents. 

3.  For  conveying  one  passenger  to  the  New  Alms  House,  fifty  cents  ;  and  for  return- 
in-r,  fifty  csnts  ;  for  conveyinr  two  pissengers  the  same  distance,  seventy-five  cents  for 
the  two;  and  twenty-five  cents  going,  and  twenty-five  cents  returning,  lor  every  addi- 
tional passen'jer. 

4.  For  conveying  one  passenger  to  Forty-second  street,  and  remaining  half  an  hour 
aud  returning,  one  doll  ir  ;   and  for  evpry  a  Idirionul  p:issen.ji'r  twenty-five  cents. 

5.  For  convey  in  r  one  pissinrer  to  Sixty-first  street,  and  remaining  three  quariers 
of  an  hour  and  retnrninr,  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents;  and  for  every  additional  passea- 
gei-,  t'lirty-seven  and  a  h  ilf  cents. 

6.  For  conveviu'j  one  passen  rer  to  Ei,'hty-sixth  street,  and  remaining  an  hour  and 
return  n.',  two  dollars  ;  and   for  pvery  additional  pa^sen  :cr,  fifty  cents. 

7.  For  conveying  one  or  more  pissen^^ers  to  Harlem,  and  returning,  with  the  privi- 
luijp  of  remainiiiir  tiirei;  iiours,  four  dol'ars. 

8.  For  convoying  one  or  more  p  isscn.r'^rs  to  King's  Bridge,  aud  returning,  with  the 
privile  'e  of  ke^pin  r  t!ip  carriage  all  d  ly,  five  Jollars. 

9.  For  the  n>e  of  a  H  ickney  Coacli  or  Carria.^e  by  the  day,  with  one  or  more  pas- 
sengers, five  dollars. 

JO.  For  the  us'^  of  a  H  ickney  Coa"!!  or  Carriage,  by  the  hour,  with  one  or  more 
passengers,  with  the  privilesre  of  sroini'  from  place  to  place,  and  of  stopping  as  often  as 
may  be  required,  as  follows,  viz  : — for  thp  first  hour,  one  dollar  ;  for  the  second  hour, 
seventy-fiv^  cf>nts  ;  and  for  evpry  sncce'Mling  hour  fifty  cents. 

II.  For  children  b"tw>'en  two  and  fourteen  years  of  agp,  half  price  only  is  to  be 
charired  ;  and  for  children  under  two  years  of  aire,  no  charire  is  to  be  made. 

1'2.  VVlieiiever  a  H  ickney  Coach,  or  Carriaire,  sh  ill  be  (b'tained,  excepting  as  afore- 
said, the  owner  or  driver  shall  be  allowi-d  after  the  rate  of  seventy-five  cents  for  an 
hour,  tlrrty-seven  and  a  half  cents  for  each  and  every  subsequent  hour,  and  so  on  in 
proportion  for  any  jjart  of  the  first  and  subseijueut  hour  wliicli  the  same  may  be  so 
det  iine<l. 

13.  For  attending  a  funeral  within  the  Lamp  and  Watch  District,  two  dollars,  and 
the  Poltp)'.-.  Fi'-lil,  three  tlollars  ;  which  cliarge  shall  include  for  the  necessary  deten- 
tion arid  returniu'/  with  pa^^si^ng'-rs. 

14.  E.e'-y  drive-  or  o.vner  of  a  H  ickney  Coach  or  Cirria?e,  shall  carry,  transport, 
and  (  onv -y  in  and  upon  his  C.iach  or  Carriaure,  in  addition  to  the  pprson  or  persons 
therein,  one  trunk,  valise,  saddle-bau',  carppt-ba,'.  portmanteau  or  box,  if  he  be  re- 
quested sr)  to  do,  for  each  passen-rer,  without  charye  or  compensation  therefor,  but 
for  every  trunk  or  other  such  articles  above  named,  more  than  one  for  each  passenger, 
he  shall  be  entitind  to  demand  and  receive  the  sum  of -six  cents. 

15.  In  case  of  disn/reemeiit  as  to  distance  or  price,  the  same  shall  bo  determined  by 
the  M  lyor  or  Siiperiniendpnt  of  Hackney  Coaches  and  Carria'.'es. 

IG.  The  owner  of  any  Hackney  Coach  or  Carriaire,  .-hull  not  demand  or  roeeive  any 
pay  for  t!i"  conveyance  of  any  pa-spu'rer,  unless  the  number  of  the  carriaire,  and  the 
rates  and  prices  of  fare,  shall  bt;  fixed  and  placed  in  a  manner  hereinafter  directed  by 
section  second  of  title  fourth  of  tiiis  law,  at  tiie  time  such  passenger  may  be  conveyed 
in  such  Carriasre. 

17.  The  owuer  or  driver  of  any  Hackney  Coach  or  Carriage,  shall  Dol  be  entitled  to 


GOVERNMENT.  51 


Police  Department. 


recover  or  receive  any  pay  from  any  person  from  whom   he  shall  have  demanded  any 
greator  price  or  rates  tlian  lie  may  be  authorized  to  receive  as  aforesaid. 

18.  Upon  the  trial  of  any  cause  commenced  for  the  recovery  of  any  of  the  aforesaid 
prices  or  rates,  it  shall  be  incumbent  uj)on  the  plaintiff  or  plaintiffs  in  such  action,  to 
prove  that  the  number  and  prices  of  rates  were  placed  and  fixed  in  pursuance  of  the 
provisions  of  this  law  at  the  time  the  services  were  rendered  for  which  the  suit  may  be 
brou^rht. 

19.  No  owner  or  driver  of  any  Hackney  Coach  or  Carriage,  in  the  City  of  New-York, 
shqll  ask,  demand  or  receive,  any  larger  sum  than  he  or  they  may  be  entitled  to  re- 
ceive as  aforesaid,  uniler  the  penalty  often  dollars  for  every  such  offence,  to  be  sued 
for  and  recovered  from  the  owner  or  owners,  or  drivers,  of  any  such  Hackney  Coach 
or  Carriage,  severally  and  respectively. 

REGULATIONS  AND  RATES  OF  PORTERAGE. 

§  1.  The  prices  and  rates  to  be  taken  by,  or  paid  to,  the  public  porters  or  handcart* 
men,  shall  be  as  follows,  to  wit : 

For  carrying  a  load  upon  a  wheelbarrow — 

1.  For  any  distance  not  exceedinsr  half  a  mile,  twelve  and  a  half  cents. 

2.  For  any  distance  over  half  a  mile,  and  not  exceeding  a  mile,  twenty-five  cents  ; 
and  in  proj)ortion  for  any  greater  distance. 

For  carrying  a  load  upon  a  handbarrow — 

1.  For  any  distance  not  exceeding  half  a  mile,  twenty-five  cents. 

2.  For  any  distance  over  half  a  mile,  and  not  exceeding  a  mile,  forty-four  cents ; 
and  in  that  proportion  for  any  greater  distance. 

For  cartiii?  a  load  in  a  handcart — 

1.  For  any  distance  not  exceeding  half  a  mile,  eighteen  cents. 

2.  For  any  distance  over  a  half  a  mile,  and  not  exceeding  a  mile,  thirty-one  cents; 
and  in  tiiat  proportion  for  any  greater  distance. 

§  2.  No  public  porter  or  handcartman  shall  ask,  demand,  or  receive  any  greater  rate 
or  price  for  transporting  any  article  or  articles,  than  is  herein  allowed,  under  the  pen- 
alty of  five  dollars  tor  each  offence. 

§  3.  No  |)iiblic  porter  or  handcartman  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  or  recover  any 
pay  or  fare  from  any  person  from  whom  he  shall  have  asked  or  demanded  any  greater 
price  or  rates  tiian  he  may  be  authorized  to  receive  by  this  title. 

§  4.  No  public  porter  or  handcartman  shall  be  entitled  to  recover  or  receive  any 
pay  or  fare  from  any  person  for  the  trans))oiiation  of  any  article  or  articles,  unless  his 
name  and  the  number  of  his  license,  and  tlie  rates  shall  be  fixed,  and  the  badge  worn, 
agreeably  to  sections  fifth  and  sixth,  of  the  first  title  of  the  chapter. 

§  5.  Upon  the  trial  of  any  cause  commenced  for  the  recover}'  of  any  of  the  aforesaid 
prices  or  rates,  it  shall  be  incumbent  oti  the  plaintiff  in  such  action,  to  prove  that  the 
badge  was  worn,  and  the  prices  fixed  agreeably  to  the  sections  mentioned  in  the  last 
preceding  section,  at  the  time  the  services  were  rendered  for  which  the  suit  was 
brought.* 

REGULATIONS  AND  RATES  OF  CARTAGE. 

The  prices  or  rates  to  be  taken  by  Cartmen  for  the  loading,  carrying,  and  unloading 
of  goods,  wares,  merchandise  and  other  things,  are  as  follows: 

Ale  or  beer,  every  hogshead  from  sixty  to  ninety  gallons $0  3H 

Alum  or  Cop|)eras,  every  hojshead  from  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  weight        .         0  SS^ 
Alum  or  Copperas,  every  hogshead  over  one  ton  weight 0  70 


Bread,  every  four  tierces 

Bricks,  every  load 

Bricks,  every  load  handed  and  piled 

Boards,  f)laiik  and  scantling,  or  other  timber,  every  load    . 
Beef  or  Pork,  every  five  barrels     ...... 

Cables,  half  shot,  from  five  to  seven  inches  in  circumference 
Cables,  whole  shot  do.  do.  do.  do.        , 

Cable.«,  half  shot,  from  seven  to  ten  do.  do. 

Cables,  whole  shot  do.  do.  do.  <lo. 


0  3H 
0  31i 
0  3S|: 
0  3U 
0  3H 
0  38i 
0  -Si 

0  93i 

1  87^ 


Cables,  half  shot,  often,  and  not  exceeding  twelve  inches  in  circumference     .         2  ]8| 
Law  to  regulate  Public  Porters  and  Handcartmen. — Chap.  LVL  Tittle  IL 


52 


GOVERNMENT. 


Police  Department. 


Cables,  whole  shot,  of  twelve,  and  not  exceedinsr  fourteen  inches  in  circumference 

Cables,  half  shot,  of  the  two  last  preceding  dimensions 

Cables,  half  shot,  of  fourteen,  and  not  exceeding  fifteen  inches  in       do. 

Cables,  whole  sliot,  of  fourteen,  and  not  exceeding  fifteen  inches  in     do. 

Cables,  half  shot,  of  above  fifteen  inches  in  circumfe 

Cables,  whole  shot       do.  do.  do. 

Calves,  sheep,  lambs,  every  load  .... 

Cider,  cheese,  cocoa,  every  load  .... 

Clay  or  fand,  every  twelve  bushels        .         . 

Coal,  ever^' half  chaldron  or  half  ton    . 

Coffee,  in  bags  or  barrels,  every  load   . 

Coffee,  every  hogshead  over  one  thousand  weight 

Cordage,  small,  every  load 

Cotton,  every  three  bales 

Dry  wood,  every  load 

Earthenware  (loose,)  every  load  .... 

European  ?oods,  every  load  .... 

Firewood,  every  load     ...... 

Fish,  dried,  (loose,)  every  load      .... 

Flaxseeil,  every  three  tierces         .... 

Flour,  every  twelve  bags  or  seven  barrels    . 
Furniture,  household,  and  housing  every  load     . 
Gammon  or  hams,  every  load         .... 

Hay,  in  bales,  bundles,  or  trusses,  every  load 
Hav,  (loose,)  every  load 
Heading  or  Staves,  every  load 
Hemp,  in  bales  or  bundles,  every  load 
Hemp,  (loose.)  every  twelve  hundred  weight 
Hides,  every  fifty   .... 

Hoops,  in  bundles,  every  load 

Hoop-poles,  every  load  . 

Iron,  hollow-ware,  every  load 

Iron,  bar,  every  load 

Leather,  sole,  every  hundred  sides 

Wolasses,  every  hogshead  from  sixty  to  ninety  gallon 

Molasses,  every  hogshead  from  ninety  to  one  hundred  and 

Oil,  every  three  barrels 

Oysters,  oyster  shells,  or  pantiles,  every  load 

Paints  or  whiting,  every  hogshead,  from  twelve  to  fifteen 

Paints  or  whiting,  over  one  ton  weight 

Paints,  wliiling  or  Pimento,  every  load 

Plaster  of  Paris,  every  ion      ..... 

Potash,  every  three  barrels    ..... 

Rum,  every  hogshead 

Salt,  every  twenty  bushels      ..... 

Shingles,  in  bundles,  long  cedar  or  pine,  every  load 
Sliingles,  cypress,  twenty-two  inches,  every  two  thou 
Stone,  paving  or  building,  every  load  . 
Stone,  rut,  every  load     ...... 

Sugar,  Havana,  every  three  boxes 

Sugar,  every  hoirshead,  from  nine  to  fifteen  hundred 

Sugar,  every  hogshead  over  one  ton  weiy'ht 

Tar,  pitch,  or  turpentine,  over  five  barrels  . 

Tar,  every  load 

Tiles  or  slates,  every  load 

Tobacco,  every  common  hogshead 
Tobacco,  ever}'  hogshead  over  one  ton  weight     . 
Wheat,  or  other  grain,  every  load 
Wine,  gin,  or  brandy,  every  pipe  over  one  hundred 
Wine,  ever}'  four  (|uarter  casks    .... 
And  for  every  load  of  goods,  wares,  merchandise,  or 
enumerated      .... 


sand 


weight 


forty  gall 


hundred  weight 


gallo 
other  things  not  abovo 


ons 


121^ 

87i- 
75 
50 
00 
0  38i 
0  31i 
0  .3li 
0  33^ 
0  3U 
0  38i 
0  3U 
0  3U 
0  3U 
0  .38^ 
0  3U 
0  3li 
0  38i 
0  31  i 
0  3SJ 
0  93i 
0  3Ii 
0  38i 
0  98J 
0  3U 
0  38i 
0  62.i- 
0  38| 
0  3lir 
0  38J 
0  38i 
0  38i 
47* 
0  38* 
0  55 
0  3U 
0  38* 
0  38* 
0  70 
0  3U 
0  f)2V 
0  31* 
0  47 
0  31* 
0  31* 
0  47 
0  31* 
0  38* 
0  38* 
0  38* 
0  70 
0  31* 
0  38* 
0  .38* 
0  38* 
0  70 
0  31* 
0  41 
0  47 


0  31* 


0 


In  all  cases  where  the  distance  exceeds  half  a  mile,  and  does  not  exceed  two  miles, 
the  cartmen  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  ouc-lhird  more  for  every  additional  half  mile  ho 
shall  cart  or  transport  them. 


GOVERNMENT. 


53 


Police  Department. 


If  any  cartman  sliall  ask,  demand,  receive,  take,  exact  or  extort  any  greater  rate  or 
rates,  price  or  prices,  or  compen.-ation  for  carting  or  transporting  anj'  goods,  wares, 
mercliaiidise,  firewood,  or  other  tilings,  tii.in  is  mentioned,  expressed,  and  limited  ia 
the  provisions  of  this  title,  he  shall  forfeit  and  pay  the  sum  of  five  dollars  for  every 
6Uch  offence. 

If  any  cartman  shall  ask  or  demand  any  greater  rate  or  price  than  is  above  provided 
and  allowed,  for  the  transportation  of  any  goods,  wares  or  merchandise,  he  shall  not  be 
entided  to  receive  any  compensation,  for  any  such  services. 

No  cartman  shall  neglect  or  refuse  to  cart,  or  emjjloy  liis  horse  and  cart,  or  sled,  in 
the  transportation  of  any  articles  whatever,  when  required,  unless  he  be  tiien  actually 
otherwise  employed,  or  unless  the  distance  he  shall  be  required  to  go  shall  be  more  ihaa 
four  miles  from  the  City  Hall,  under  a  penalty  or  five  dollars  for  every  such  offence.* 

Complaints  of  any  violation  of  the>e  laws  can  be  made  at  the  Mayor's  Office,  in  the 
City  Hall,  or  at  the  office  of  the  Chief  of  Police,  in  the  New  City  Hall. 

The  omnibuses  are  also  regulated  by  law  ;  no  omnibus  being  allowed 
to  run  without  a  license.  There  are  at  present  in  the  city  327  omnibuses, 
paying  the  aggregate  sum  of  i^5,930. 

The  following  Table  gives  the 

LINES  OF  OMNIBUSES. 


Names  of  Lives  and 
Proprietors. 


Chelsea  Line, 
Kipp  and  Brown. 

Greenwich  Line, 
Kipp  and  Brown. 

Broadway  Line, 

Reynolds  and  Weart. 

Bull's  Head  Line, 
James  Murphy  &  Co. 

Tompkins  Square  Line, 
James  Murpliy  &.  Co. 

Waverley  Line, 
William  S.  Slocum. 

People's  Line, 

Mackrell  and  Simpson. 

Fulton  Ferry  Line, 
Ciiarles  Lent. 

Empire  Line, 

Bolster,  Andrews,  Wallace, 

Union  Line, 

Hatfield  and  Bcrtine. 

Knickerbocker  Line, 
Palmer  and  Peters. 

Forty-eighth-street  L. 
Palmer  and  Peters. 

Yorkville  Line, 
Losee  and  Ryerson. 

Sixty-first-street  Line, 
Losee  ;ind  Ryerson. 


Routes. 


From  cor.  23d-st.  and  9th  Av.,  thr'gh  9ili  Av.,  Hud- 
son, and  Canal  sts.,  and  B'way  to  the  B'ingGreen. 

From  c.  23d-st.  and  9th  Av.,  thr'gh  9tli  Av.,  Huilson, 
Chambers,  and  Greenwich  sts.,  to  Battery  Place. 

From  2.3.1-st.  thr'jrh  4th  Av.  to  B'waj',  or  from  23d- 
st.  through  Broadway  and  W'hall-st.,  to  S.  Ferry. 

From  c.  28th-sl.  and  3d  Av.,  thr'gh  3d  Av.,  Bowery, 

Chathamst.,  B'way  and  Whitehall-st.,  S.  Ferry. 

From  13th-st.  and  A  v.  B,  thr'?h  A  v.  B,  lOth-st.,  Av.  A, 
8lh-st.,  Astor  PI.  B'way  and  W'hall-st.  to  S.  Ferry. 

From  c.  14th-st.  and  6th  Av.,  through  Gth  A  v..  8th-st., 
Broadway  and  Whitehall-st.,  to  South  Ferry.  . 

From  c.  .Av.  C,  and  lOth-st.,  thr'gh  lOth-st.,  Av.  D, 
8th,  Lewis,  and  Grand  sts.,  Ea>it  B'way,  Chatham- 
st., Broadway  and  Whitehall-st.,  to  South  Ferry. 

From  cor.  of  2lst-st.  and  7th  Av.,  through  7th  Av., 
Greenwich  Lane,  6th  Av.,  Amity-st.,  Broadway 
and  Fulton-st.,  to  Fulton  Ferry 

From  cor  of  6th  Av.  and  I4th-st.,  through  6th  Av., 
9tli-st.,  Broadway  and  Whitehall-st.,  to  S.  Ferry. 

From  cor.  of  Av.  C,  &  10th  St.,  through  lOth-st.,  Av. 
D,  Coluinbiaand  Grand  sts.  Bowery,  Chatham-st., 
Broadway  and  Whitehall-st.,  to  South  Ferry.  . 

From  c.  23d-st.  and  8th  Av..  thr'gh  8th  .4 v.,  Bleecker- 
st.,  Broadway  and  Whitehall  St.,  to  S.  Ferry.  . 

From  cor.  of  23d-sL  and  8th  Av.,  through  8th  Av. 
to  48th-st.  Bloomingdale 

From  cor.  of  Pell-st.  and  Bowery,  up  Bowery  and 
3d  Av.,  to  Yorkville  and  Hellgate  Ferry.      .     . 

From  foot  of  6Ist-st.  E.  R.,  to  3d  Av.,  through  3d 
Av.,  Bowery,  and  Chatham-st.,  to  City  Hall. 


No.    OF 
STAGES. 


32 
8 

25 
22 
14 
22 

28 

18 

22 

30 

37 

3 

8 
2 


*  Law  to  regulate  Carts  and  Cartmen.     Chapter  LV.  Title.  III. 


54 


GOVERNMENT. 


Aims-House  Department. 


Names  of  Lines  aivd 
Propribttors. 


Routes. 


Harlem  and  N.  York  Line, 
Murpliy  and  Kavaiiagli. 

Astoria  and  Yorkville  L. 
Thomas  3Iuipliy. 

B'dale  and  Manhattan.  L. 

Benjamin  Moore. 

Harlem  and  Manhatt.  L. 
James  Dunlap. 

Manhattan  Line, 
Thomas  Mc  Leiland. 

Wmsburg  &  J.  City  F.  L. 
William  Tyson. 

Burnham's  Line, 
Jolin  O'Keefe. 

21  Lines. 


Froni  Harlem  Bridie  through  3d  Av.,  Bowery,  and 
Chatham-st.,  to  Tryoii  Row 

From  No.  3  Chatliam-st.,  throu?h  Chatham-st., 
Bowery,  3d  A  v.  and  86-st.,  to  Hellgate  Ferrj'.  . 

From  Manhattanville,  throujrli  the  Bloominsrdale 
Road,  Bowery  and  Cliatham-st.,  to  Tryon  Row. 

From  the  Railroad  al  Harlem  to  3Ianhattanville, 
and  from  thence  to  Kingsbridge 

From  8th-st.  and  Av.  C,  tlir'gh  .\v-.  C,  Honston-^t., 
Bowery,  C'ham-.<t.,  B'way  and  W'iiali-st.,  to  S.  F. 

From  Williamsburg  Ferry,  foot  of  Grand-st., 
tl)roui,'h  Grand-st.,  Broadway,  Canal,  Greenwich 
and  Cortlandt  sts.,  to  the  Jersey  City  Ferry.     . 

From  Chambers-st.  and  B'way,  thr'gh  B'way,  Canal, 
&-  Hudson  sts.,  8tii  A  v.  <fe  B'dale  R.,  to  Burnham's. 


Total  number  of  Omnibuses  licensed. 


No.  or 

STAGES. 


H 
4 

8 

2 

16 

10 
5 


n 


327 


LOCATIONS  OF   THE  MARKETS. 

Catharine,  in  Catharine-street,  runnin?from  Cherry  to  South  sts. 

Center,  bounded  by  Grand,  Broome,  Center  and  Orange  sts. 

Clinton,  bounded  by  Canal.  Sprin-r,  We>t  and  Washinirton  sts. 

Essex  bounded  by  Gr:>ndst.,  E>sex  Market  Place,  Ludlow  and  Essex  sts. 

Franklin,  in  Old  Slip,  from  Front  to  South  sts. 

Fulton,  boundRd  by  Fulton,  Beelfnian,  Fulton,  and  South  sts. 

Gouverneur,  foot  of  Gouverneur-st..  Eiist  River. 

Greenwich,  in  Wcst->t.,  between  Christopher  and  Amos  sts. 

Jeferson,  in  Greenwich  Lane,  between  Anio>!-st.  and  Sixth  Avenue. 

Monroe,  bounded  by  Grand,  Monroe  and  Corlcars  sts. 

Tompkins,  in  Third  Avenue,  between  Sixth  and  Seventh  sts. 

Union,  at  the  junction  of  Houston  and  Second  sts. 

Washington,  bounded  by  Washington,  West,  Fulton,  and  Vesey  sts. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  enumerate  all  the  details  of  the  Police  Depart- 
ment. We  have  mentioned  sufficient  to  give  an  idea  of  its  extent  and 
importance. 


New- York  furnishes  a  field  for  the  exercise  of  benevolence,  as  well  as 
for  the  infliction  of  punishment.  Thousands  are  crowding  to  our 
shores  with  no  means  of  subsistence  save  the  toil  of  their  hands,  and 
perhaps  enter  our  streets  only  to  become  the  objects  of  charity.  Thou- 
sands of  older  inhabitants  are  liable,  by  sickness  or  casualty,  to  be  re- 
duced to  a  state  of  penury.  The  provision  for  their  necessities  is  not  left 
to  private  philanthropy. 

The  Alms-House  Department   of    New-York    is   extensive.     It  em 
braces  within  its  range  no  less  than  five  establishments,  each    consisting 
of  several  buildings,  under  the  superintendence  of  an  officer,  styled  the 
Aims-House  Commissioner. 


GOVERNMENT.  55 


Fire    Department. 


At  about  the  coininencemeut  of  the  present  century,  the  grounds  oa 
the  East  River,  nearly  three  miles  from  tiie  city,  forinerly  occupied  as 
the  residence  of  the  celebrated  Lindley  Murray,  were  purchased  by  the 
Corporation,  and  an  occasional  infirmary  established,  to  be  used  during 
any  extraordinary  prevalence  of  disease.  Other  buildings  have  since 
been  added,  and  the  name  of  Bkllevue  Hospital  given  to  the  whole. 
The  chief  edifice,  of  stone,  is  32.5  feet  in  length  and  55  in  width.  The 
buildings  are  enclosed  by  a  high  stone  wall.  Connected  with  this  estab- 
lishment, is  the  House  of  Retuge.  The  present  use  of  the  buildings  at 
Bellevue  is  soon  to  be  abandoned,  inconsequence  of  the  erection  of  new 
buildings  on  the  adjacent  islands. 

Blackwell's  Island,  in  the  East  River,  about  four  miles  from  the  City 
Hall,  contains  many  buildings  connected  with  the  Aims-House  Depart- 
ment. On  the  south  side  of  the  island,  stands  the  City  Penitentiary,  a 
large  four  story  stone  edifice,  capable  of  containing  one  thousand, 
convicts.  Below  this,  at  the  extreme  end  of  the  island,  is  situated  the 
Ho-pitalfor  side  convicts.  In  the  center  ot  the  island,  are  the  new  Alms- 
Hou>e  buildings,  consisting  of  two  mam  buildings,  each  with  wings, 
one  for  males,  the  other  for  females,  ami  both  built  of  ftone.  At  the 
north  end  of  the  island,  .stands  the  City  Lunatic  Asylum,  a  large  and  im- 
posing edifice.  All  these  establishments  are  supplied  with  smaller 
buildings  for  subordinate  purpo.ses. 

Randall's  Island,  east  by  north  of  Blackwell's  Island,  about  seven 
and  three-fourths  miles  from  the  City  Hall,  cont  lins  seven  building? 
belonging  to  the  nursery  department.  N'^rarly  nine  hundred  children 
are  now  connected  with  this  establishment,  about  two-thirds  of  which, 
receive  instruction, 

Such  is  the  Aim --House  Department  of  the  city  of  New- York,  an  in- 
stitution thit  supports  nearly  six  thousand  persons  and  firni-hes  weekly 
aid  to  two  thousand  others,  at  an  annual  expense  ol  $300,000. 

The  introduction  of  the  Croton  water,  though  it  has  afforded  a  greatly 
increased  protection  against  fire,  has,  by  no  means,  super-^eded  the  utility 
of  the  Fire  Department.  This  institution  still  retains  the  esprit  du 
cor;;s  which  has  long  characterized  it;  and  there  is  no  class  of  citizens 
that  discharge  their  public  duties  with  more  zeal  and  alacriy  than  the 
firemen  of  Xew-York. 

The  Fire  Department  contains   eighteen  hundred  men.     It  is  supplied 
with  thirty-three  engines,   forty-one  ho~e  carriages,  eight  ho  )k  and  lad 
der  trucks,  forty-eight   hooks,    forty  ladders,  and   forty-seven  thousand 


56  GOVERNMENT. 


Fire  Department. 


nine  hundred  feet  of  hose.*  In  addition  to  the  fire  and  hose  companies, 
there  are  three  hydrant  companies,  whose  duty  is  to  take  charge  of  the 
hydrants  in  case  of  fire. 

For  greater  facilities  in  the  extinguishment  of  fires,  the  city  is  divided 
into  three  fire  districts,  and  each  district  into  two  sections.  The  first 
district  embraces  all  that  part  of  the  city  that  lies  north  of  a  line  run- 
ning from  the  Halls  of  Justice  to  the  foot  of  North  Moore-stieet,  and 
west  of  a  line  from  the  Halls  of  Justice  through  Lafayette  and  Irving 
Places,  and  is  divided  by  a  line  running  from  the  Halls  of  Justice  to 
the  foot  of  Forly-first-street,  North  River  ;  the  western  portion  of  which 
is  called  the  first,  and  the  eastern  the  second  section.  The  second  dis- 
trict embraces  all  that  part  of  the  city  lying  east  of  the  first  district,  and 
north  of  a  line  running  from  the  Halls  of  Justice  to  the  foot  of  Roosevelt 
street,  and  is  divided  by  a  line  running  from  the  Halls  of  Justice  to  the 
foot  of  Fifteenth-street,  East  River  ;  the  northern  portion  of  which  is  called 
the  first,  and  the  southern  the  second  section.  The  third  district  em- 
braces that  part  of  the  city  that  lies  south  of  the  first  and  second  dis- 
tricts, and  is  divided  by  a  line  running  from  the  Halls  of  Justice  to  the 
foot  of  Broadway;  the  eastern  portion  of  which  is  called  the  first,  and 
the  western  the  second  section. 

A  person  is  always  stationed  in  the  cupola  of   the  City  Hall,  M'hose 
duty    is,  on  the  appearance  of  a  fire,  to  sound  the  alarm,  by  giving  to 
the  bell  a  suflicient  number  of  strokes  to  indicate  the  district  and  section 
in  which  the  fire  is  located,  according  to  the  following  schedule  : — 
1st  District,  1st  Section,  one  stroke, 

"         "  2d         "  two  strokes. 

1st        '*  three     " 

2d         "  four      " 

1st        "  five       " 

2d        "  six         " 

No  fire  company  is  allowed  to  remove  its  apparatus  out  of  the  district 
where  it  is  located,  except  in  extraordinary  cases  offirc,  when,  by  direc- 
tion of  the  Chief  Engineer  or  one  of  tlie  Assistants,  the  whole  depart- 
ment is  called  into  service. 

Certain  immunities  attach  to  the  fire  service  in  New- York.  After  a 
connection  of  seven  years  with  the  department,  the  firemen  are  forever 
exempted  from  military  and  jury  duty  in  this  State.  But  this  is  a  poor 
reward  for  their  toils  and  perils,  and  they  should  at  least  receive,  in  addi- 
tion, the  lasting  gratitude  of  those  whose  lives  and  property  they  protect 
in  time  of  danger. 

»  Ann.  Report  of  Chief  Engineer  of  Fire  Department,  July  31,  1348.  Board  of  Al« 
dormen  Doc.  No.  8. 


2d 

(( 

(( 

(< 

3d 

(< 

(< 

(( 

GOVERNMENT.  57 


.Military  Department. 


The  Fire  Department  is  likewise  a  charitable  in.-titution.  On  the  20th 
of  March,  1798,  the  firemen  were  constituted  by  act  of  the  Legislature 
a  body  politic  ;  and,  since  their  incorporation,  much  has  been  done  to 
relieve  the  needy  families  of  sick  and  disabled  firemen,  as  well  as  the 
widows  and  orphans  of  those  that  are  deceased.  Their  income  arises 
from  powder  and  chimney  fines,  initiation  fees,  and  other  sources;  and 
their  permanent  fund  now  amounts  to  $'37,215.  For  some  years  their 
disbursements  in  acts  of  charity  have  been  nearly  ten  thousand  dollars 
per  annum.  About  two  hundred  widows  receive  pensions  of  twenty-five 
dollars  each  per  annum  ;  and  to  widows  and  orphans  are  furnished  each, 
winter  about  one  hundred  tons  of  coal,  and  one  thousand  pairs  of  shoes.* 
The  department,  however,  could  find  more  numerous  instances  requir- 
ing relief,  were  the  benevolence  of  the  community  to  provide  them  with 
the  means  of  extending  their  usefulness.  And  we  may  be  permitted  to 
call  attention  to  the  foct  set  forth  in  the  last  report  of  the  Trustees,  that, 
though  this  association  has  been  in  existence  for  half  a  century,  and  the 
objects  of  its  aid  present  no  ordinary  claims  to  the  sympathies  of  benevo- 
lence, the  first  bequest  has  not  yet  been  made  to  its  charitable  fund. 
While  other  institutions  receive  the  bounty  of  the  liberal,  this  should 
not  pass  unnoticed. 

As  in  all  large  cities,  alarms  of  fire  are  frequent  in  New-York. 
Scarcely  a  night  passes  that  some  portion  of  the  firemen  are  not  called 
into  service,  and  often  several  times  the  same  night.  The  attempt  to 
follow  the  engines  in  case  of  alarm  to  the  scene  of  the  fire,  is  futile. 
Strangers  are  often  seen  returning  after  a  long  and  fruitless  search,  hav- 
ing failed  to  discover  the  least  cause  for  an  alarm.  And  even  w^hen 
there  is  a  fire,  and  the  fire  not  far  distant,  it  is  impossible  to  approach 
near  the  scene  of  conflagration,  without  danger  of  injury  from  the  en- 
gines or  the  crowd.  It  is  only  when  the  heavens  are  lit  up  with  the  re- 
flection of  the  flames,  that  a  person  may  be  called  out  with  any  prospect 
of  witnessing  a  scene  of  grandeur. 

New-York,  though  not  a  warlike  place,  acts  on  the  principle  to 
prepare  for  war  in  time  of  peace.  Her  Military  Department  consists 
of  four  brigades,  containing  twelve  regiments.  When  full,  the  regiments 
will  average  five  hundred  men  each,  but  at  present  the  average  number 
does  not  exceed  three  hundred.  By  the  laws  of  the  State,  all  able-bodied 
men,  between  the  ages  of  18  and  45  years,  are  subject  to  military  ser- 
vice ;  but  the  small  sum,  75  cents  each  year,  allowed  as  a  commutation  for 


»  Trustees'  Report,  Dec.  3,  1847. 
3* 


58  GOVERNMENT. 


i 


Health  Department. 


performance  of  duty,  while  it  increases  the  revenue,  diminishes  the  num- 
ber of  troops.  Those  who  have  rendered  service  for  seven  years  in  the 
uniform  corps,  since  1836,  are  forever  after  exempt  from  jury  duty,  and 
from  military  duty  in  time  of  peace.  One  object  of  the  military  organi- 
zation of  the  city  is  to  quell  riots,  and  protect  property  in  time  of  danger. 
Seven  strokes  of  the  City  Hall  bell  will  call  out,  within  the  space  of  half 
an  hour,  for  the  defence  of  life  or  property,  two  thousand  men.  During 
the  conflagrations  of  1835  and  1845,  the  troops  of  the  city  were  on  duty 
day  and  night. 

For  salubrity  of  climate.  New- York  is  surpassed  by  few  commercial 
cities  in  the  world  ;  and  every  precaution  is  taken  that  this  natural  ad- 
vantage shall  not  be  destroyed  by  the  introduction  of  foreign  disease  or 
the  rise  of  contagion  from  local  causes.  The  Health  Department  is 
under  the  supervision  of  the  Board  of  Health,  consisting  of  the  Mayor 
and  the  Common  Council.  The  Commissioners  of  Health,  consisting  of 
the  Health  Olficer,  the  Resident  Physician,  and  the  Health  Commis- 
sioner, are  ofRcers  appointed  by  the  State  for  carrying  out  the  laws  re- 
lative to  public  health,  and  are  always  licensed  physicians.*  They  are 
empowered  to  hold  in  trust  for  the  people,  the  Marine  Hospital,  belong- 
ing to  the  State,  situated  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Staten  Island,  and  to 
make  rules  for  its  government  and  management.  It  is  the  duty  of  the 
health  officer  to  decide  what  vessels  are  subject  to  quarantine,  and  to 
detain  them  as  long  as  he  shall  deem  safety  requires.f  The  anchorage 
ground  for  vessels  at  quarantine,  is  near  the  Marine  Hospital,  and  is  de- 
signated by  buoys.  All  physicians  practising  in  the  city  of  New- York, 
and  all  keepers  of  boarding  houses,  are  required  by  law  to  report  in  writ- 
ing to  the  Mayor,  the  Board  of  Health,  or  either  of  the  Commissioners 
of  Health,  every  case  of  contagious  disease  that  comes  under  their  cog- 
nizance ;  and  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Board  of  Health  to  adopt  such  mea- 
sures as  they  may  deem  expedient  to  prevent  the  spreading  of  the  con- 
tagion. J  In  no  other  city  of  the  Union,  is  greater  care  taken  for  the  pre- 
servation of  public  health. 

Such  are  the  municipal  regulations  of  New- York  for  the  protection  of 
life,  of  health,  and  of  property. 


♦  Revised  Statutes.  Chap.  XFV.    Title  I. 
t  Act  concerning  Quarantine,  &c..  passed  May  13,  1846. 

\    Law  relative    to   the  "  internal  regulations  for  the   preservation   cf   the   Duhlia 
health  in  the  City  of  New- York,"  Titlo  111.    Article  2d. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


TRADE  AND  COMMERCE. 

New- York  is  a  commercial  city.  Possessing  one  of  the  finest  harbors 
on  the  globe,  and  enjoying  unusual  facilities  of  communication  with  the 
other  parts  of  this  continent,  she  has  taken  the  lead  of  all  her  competi- 
tors, and  may  now  be  ranked  the  second  commercial  city  in  the  world. 

For  the  prosperity  of  a  community  engaged  in  the  pursuits  of  trade, 
two  conditions  are  requisite — capital,  and  facilities  for  using  that  capital 
to  advantage.  Where  the  latter  exist,  the  former  will  not  generally  be 
wanting.    Capital  flows  to  those  points  where  it  is  in  the  greatest  demand. 

The  harbor  of  New-York  is  spacious.  Upon  its  bosom,  surrounded 
by  protecting  headlands,  might  float  in  perfect  safety  the  combined 
navies  of  the  world.  The  depth  of  water  at  the  wharves  is  sufficient  for 
the  largest  vessels;  and  the  depth  of  the  channel  varies  from  six  to  eight 
fathoms,  except  at  the  bar  off  Sandy  Hook,  where  at  the  lowest  tide  it  is 
four  fathoms.*  The  tides  in  the  harbor  avc-age  nearly  seven  feet.  The 
mild  temperature,  and  the  strong  currents  that  sweep  through  the  adjacent 
rivers,  complete  the  natural  advantages  of  the  harbor.  For  a  century  it 
has  been  but  twice  blockaded  with  ice.f  While  other  ports  are  by  this 
obstruction  rendered  comparatively  useless  in  the  winter,  New-York,  at 
all  seasons  of  the  year,  sends  forth  her  merchantmen  to  the  distant  parts 
of  the  earth,  and  receives  at  her  wharves  the  products  of  every  clime. 

New- York  is  not  wanting  in  capital.  Enterprise  and  wealth  from 
other  portions  of  the  Union  have  found  here  the  most  advantageous  em- 
ployment, and  have  aided  in  supplying  her  with  the  "  bone  and  sinew'* 
of  commerce.  Interested  cities  have  drawn  comparisons  unfavorable  to 
New-York  with  regard  to  the  proportion  of  capital  to  credit:  but,  whilst 
the  annals  of  commerce  bear  record  of  a  desolation  by  the  devouring 
element,  twice  repeated  without  causing  her  to  bend  under  the  scourge; 
whilst  the  commercial  revulsions  of  Great  Britain   make   but  slight  im- 

*  This  is  the  depth  of  the  new  channel  discovered  by  Captain  Gedney  in  the  IT.  S. 
Surveys.    The  channel  previously  used  afibrded  a  depth  of  but  twenty-one  feet, 
t  In  the  cold  winters  of  1780  and  1820. 


60 


TRADE    AND    COMMEHCE. 


Capital  of  New-York 


pression  in  her  midst;  whilst  tlie  oveitluow  of  dynasties  and  civil  Corn- 
motions  that  shake  the  governments  of  the  Continent  to  their  center,  can- 
not turn  her  from  "  the  even  tenor  of  her  way  ;"  whilst  the  vvithdrawment 
of  government  deposits,  that  often  produces  embarrassment  in  other  cities, 
is  known  to  her  only  as  a  piece  of  news;  the  assertion  of  the  shallow- 
ness of  her  capital,  will  be  but  idle  w^ords. 

The  capital  of  New-York  is  not  confined  to  her  own  limits.  It  is  to 
be  found  invested  in  works  of  internal  improv^ement,  as  well  as  travers- 
ing the  whole  world,  transporting  our  own  products  to  foreign  coun- 
tries, and  bringing  tc  our  shores  the  merchandise  and  commodities  es- 
sential to  our  convenience  and  happiness.  To  thousands  of  seamen, 
laborers,  and  mechanics,  it  aflords  the  means  of  comfortable  subsistence 

A  satisfactory  estimate  of  the  capital  of  New- York,  is  impossible.  Too 
many  elements  enter  into  such  a  calculation  to  allow  of  an  approximation 
to  accuracy.  In  a  commercial  city  almost  every  species  of  property  can 
be  converted  into  capital.  The  following  schedule  of  the  real  and  per- 
sonal estate  of  New- York,  as  assessed  during  the  last  eijjht  years,  exhibits 
a  species  of  capital  which,  by  the  system  of  hypothecation,  is,  in  this 
city  more  than  in  any  other,  rendered  available  for  the  purposes  of  trade.* 


VEAKS 

REAL    KSTATR. 

fers'nal  est 

1841 

$186,347,246 

§65,430.156 

1842 

176,512,312 

61.294.559 

1843 

164,950,514 

63,046,575 

1844 

171,936,591 

64,023, 156 

1845 

177,207,990 

62,787,527 

1846 

183,480,534 

61,471,470 

1847 

187,315,386 

59,837,917 

1848 

193,029,076 

61,104,451 

AOGREGATE. 

INCREASE. 

DECREASE. 

$251,777,702 

237,>50r),901 

$1,3970,801 

227,997,080 

9,809,812 

235,960,047 

$7,062,958 

239,0)5,517 

4,035,470 

,         244,952.004 

4.956,487 

247.153,303 

2,201,299 

254,193,527 

7,040,224 

A  view  of  the  moneyed  institutions  of  the  city,  gives  an  idea  of  com- 
mercial activity,  rather  than  of  general  wealth.  There  are  in  New-York 
twenty-six  banks, t  with  an  aggregate  capital  of  $52(5,363,600,  and  twenty- 
four  fire,  marine,  and  life,  (exclusive  ofthe  mutual,)  insurance  companies, 
with  an  aggregate  capital  of  $^8,005,010.  There  are  besides  many  in- 
surance companies  nominally  established  in  other  states,  whose  business  is 
transacted  in  New- York  through  the  medium  of  agencies,  but  the  charters 
of  which,  in  con-^equence  of  legislative  facilities,  have  been  elsewhere 
obtained  by  the  capital  of  New-York. 

*  For  the  use  of  official  documpiits  from  which  this  schedule  has  been  compiled, 
•we  are  indctjted  to  Talman  J.  Watois,  E'^q.,  late  controller  of  the  city. 

t  General  Rei^nlations  of  the  Hanks.— The  rate  of  intorost  for  the  discount  of  notes 
or  bills  not  haviuf?  more  tlian  sixty  days  to  run  is  six  per  cent,  per  annum.  In  cases 
whore  they  are  to  run  for  a  Ioniser  period  the  rate  of  interest  is  seven  per  cent. 
Three  days  of  ffpace  are  allowed.  u])on  wliich  the  same  discount  is  taken.  Notes 
or  bills  iire  collected  by  the  bank?'  for  their  customers  without  cliaige.  except  in 
cases  of  protest,  when  the  expense  of  protest  is  paid  by  the  holder.  Deposits  of 
money  must  be  entered,  at  the  time  of  deposit,  in  the  dealer's  book;  and  may  be 
drawn,  at  any  time,  without  expense.  The  banks  are  open  daily,  except  on  Sundays 
and  general  holidays,  throughout   the  year,  from  10  A.  M.  to  3  P.  M. 


TRADE  AND  COMMERCE. 


61 


Banks.— Insurance  Companie.*. 


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62  TRADE    AND    COMMERCE. 

Merchants'  Exchange. 

Wall-street  is  the  center  of  the  monetary  operations  of  the  city.  In- 
deed, the  influence  of  its  transactions  is  confined  to  no  local  interests. 
They  excite  the  attention  of  moneyed  institutions  and  men  of  capital 
throughout  this  country  and  Europe.  The  heaviest  speculations  in  storks 
and  bonds,  in  merchandise  and  real  estate,  here  take  place  ;  and  those 
whose  moral  principle  would  shrink  from  the  pursuit  of  the  gambler, 
often  engage  in  monetary  transactions,  m  a  manner  and  with  feelings  so 
nearly  allied  to  those  of  the  latter,  as  to  admit  of  no  favorable  compari- 
son. But  this  imputation  can,  by  no  means,  rest  upon  many  who  are 
daily  conversant  witli  these  operations.  There  are  men  whose  lives  are 
sj^ent  in  the  midst  of  such  pursuits,  who  are  not  unduly  influenced  by 
the  desire  of  gain,  and  who  are  as  honorable  and  conscientious  in  their 
dealings  as  any  portion  of  the  community. 

The  Merchants'  Exchange  occupies  the  entire  irregular  block,  bounded 
by  Wall,  William,  Exchange  and  Hanover  streets.  It  was  erected  by  the 
Merchants'  Exchange  Company,  an  association  incorporated  by  the  Le- 
gislature in  18"23,  with  a  capital  of  one  million  of  dollars.  The  present 
edifice  was  commenced  in  1&3G,  and  completed  in  1842,  on  the  site  of 
the  former  Exchange,  which  was  destroyed  in  the  great  fire  of  1835. 
Previously  to  the  erection  of  the  latter  building,  commenced  in  1825,  and 
completed  in  1827,  the  merchants  had  met  together  at  the  Tontine  Cofiee 
House,  at  the  corner  of  Wall  and  Water  streets,  a  building  erected  by 
them  for  that  purpose  in  1795.  The  Merchants'  Exchange  is  justly  ad- 
mired as  one  of  the  most  splendid  specimens  of  architecture  in  the 
country.  It  is  built  of  beautiful  syenite  from  Qumcy,  Mass.,  to  which 
the  quarriers  have  given  the  name  of  "  Quincy  granite,"  and  is  entirely 
fire-proof.  It  consists  of  two  main  stories,  with  a  high  basement  and 
an  attic.  Its  principal  front  on  Wall-street,  196  feet  in  length,  is  adorned 
by  a  colonnade  of  twelve  Ionic  columns.  Within  these,  is  a  range  of  six 
similar  columns,  supporting  the  ceiling  of  a  recess  for  the  main  entrance 
to  the  building.  The  shafts  of  these  columns,  thirty  feet  in  hight,  are 
single  blocks,  weighing  thirty-three  tons.  The  Rotunda,  the  name  ap- 
plied to  the  Exchange  Hall,  occupies  the  center  of  the  edifice,  and  is 
surmounted  by  a  magnificent  dome,  eighty  feet  in  diameter,  resting  in 
part  on  eight  splendid  Corinthian  columns  of  Italian  marble.  A  large 
hall,  in  the  western  portion  of  the  building,  is  devoted  to  the  purposes  of 
a  Reading  Room,  containing  files  of  papers  from  almost  every  country  of 
the  world.  The  other  apartments  are  chiefly  occupied  by  the  oflices  of 
insurance  companies,  bankers  and  brokers.  The  cost  of  this  noble  edihce, 
including  the  ground  on  which  it  stands,  which  was  purchased  for 
$768,000,  was  about  ^'1,800,000. 


TRADE    AND    COMMERCE.  63 

N.  y.  stock   and  Exchange  Board. — New  Stock  Exchange. — Chamber  of  Commerce 

The  Rotunda,  between  the  hours  of  one  and  two  o'clock,  when  the 
Merchants  congregate,  presents  a  scene  of  the  liveliest  interest.  On  every 
face  may  be  depicted  the  excitement  that  reigns  within  ;  and,  as  the  busy 
groups,  closely  dotting  the  area  of  this  Temple  of  Commerce,  exchange 
their  views  on  the  topics  of  the  day,  and  the  magnificent  vault  above 
them  reverberates  the  hmn  of  a  hundred  voices,  the  beholder  is  forcibly 
reminded  of  the  glory  of  ancient  Tyre,  when  "  her  merchants  were  princes, 
and  her  traffickers,  the  honorable  of  the  earth." 

At  the  hour  of  half  past  ten  A.  M.,  daily,  the  New-Yoek  Stock  and  Ex- 
change Board  meet  at  their  hall  in  the  Exchange,  and  again,  informally, 
at  half  past  two,  P.  M.  The  objects  of  this  association  are,  the  buyins 
and  selling  of  stocks,  specie,  &c.  No  amount  less  than  five  hundred  dollars 
is  permitted  to  be  sold  at  this  board.  Fictitious  sales  or  contracts  are 
forbidden,  under  the  penalty  of  expulsion.  The  fee  for  admission  is  four 
hundred  dollars,* 

The  meetings  of  a  similar  institution,  the  New  Stock  Exchanqk,  are 
held  at  the  same  hours  in  the  Exchange.  The  regulations  are  nearly  the 
same  as  those  of  the  Stock  and  Exchange  Board  The  fee  for  admission 
is  twenty-five  dollars. f 

The  only  commercial  association  of  note  whose  meetings  are  not  held  at 
the  Merchants'  Exchange,  is  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  which  meets  at 
the  Merchants'  Bank.  This  institution  was  organized  on  the  5th  of  April, 
1768,  for  promoting  the  interests  of  trade  and  commerce,  and  received  a 
charter  from  George  III,  during  the  administration  of  Lieutenant  Governor 
Golden,  March  13,  1770.  Its  title  was  The  Corporation  of  the  Cham- 
ber OF  Commerce  in  the  City  of  New- York,  in  America.^  After  the 
Revolution,  a  change  in  this  title  became  necessary.  On  the  13th  of  April, 
1784,  the  legislature  conferred  upon  the  association  the  name  of  "  Thk 
Corporation  of  the  Chamber  of  Comjierce  of  the  State  of  New- York. 
The  principal  feature  of  this  institution  consists  in  the  action  of  two  com- 
mittees, respectively  designated  the  "  Committee  of  Arbitration"  and  the 
"  Committee  of  Appeal."  To  the  former  the  adjustment  of  mercantile  dif- 
ferences is  referred,  while  the  latter  has  cognizance  of  cases  where  an  ap- 
peal is  made,  according  to  the  regulations  of  the  Chamber,  from  the  de- 
cision of  the  ''Committee  of  Arbitration."  Such  an  appeal  is  allowed 
only  when  the  amount  at  issue  exceeds  one  hundred  dollars;  and  not  then, 
if  the  Committee  are  unanimous  in  their  decision,  unless  it  exceed  five 


*  CoBBtit.  and  By  Laws  of  N  Y.  Stock  and  Exchange  Board 
t  Constit.  anu  By-Laws  of  New  Stock  Exchange 
\  Charter  of  Chamber  of  Com. 


64 


TRADE    AND    COMMERCE. 


Custom  House. — Exports  and  Imports. 


hundred  dollars.*  No  persons  are  allowed  merribership  but  merchants 
and  others  whose  avocations  are  connected  with  the  trade  and  commerce 
of  the  country,  who  are  American  citizens,  and  regularly  transacting 
business  in  the  city  of  New- York  ;  but  the  privileges  of  arbitration  are, 
under  certain  regulations,  extended  to  those  who  are  not  members,  or  not 
eligible  to  menibership.f 

Wall-street  likewise  contains  another  important  edifice  devoted  to  the 
purposes  of  commerce.  The  Custom  House  presents  its  chief  front  to 
this  street,  on  the  corner  of  Nassau,  though  it  also  fronts  on  Pine-street. 
On  the  same  site,  stood  the  old  Federal  Hall,  in  which  the  inauguration 
of  Washington,  as  President,  took  place.  No  other  government  building 
in  the  country  is  the  scene  of  so  varied  and  extensive  monetary  operations. 
Here  is  collected  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  entire  revenue  of  the  Union. 
The  edifice  was  commenced  in  1S34,  and  completed  in  1S42.  Its 
model  was,  with  some  variations,  the  Parthenon  at  Athens.  Its  length  is 
192  feet,  and  its  breadth  90  feet.  The  colonnade  at  each  end  of  the 
building  consists  of  eight  columtis.  The  principal  apartment  is  circular 
and  surmounted  by  a  splendid  dome.  A  peristyle  of  sixteen  Corinthian 
columns  encloses  the  apartment,  and  supports  the  dome.  The  remainder 
of  the  building  is  divided  into  offices  appropriated  to  the  various  branches 
of  the  department.  The  Custom  House,  though  a  splendid  structure,  is 
too  contracted  for  the  immense  business  transacted  within  its  walls — a 
business  constantly  increasing,  and  which  w^ill  doubtless  require  moro 
spacious  accommodations  long  before  the  present  building  has  lost  its  re- 
putation as  one  of  the  most  admired  edifices  in  the  country.  The  cost  of 
the  land,  building  and  appendages,  was  ^1,175,000. 

The  following  table  exhibits  the  extent  of  the  commerce  of  New- York 
in  each  of  the  last  ten  years.J 


YEARS. 


1H39 

1840 
1811 
1842 
1843 
1844 
1845 
1846 
1847 
1848 


VALUE  OF 
KXPOUTS. 


$36  662.223 
30.186.470 
3fl731..'il9 
23  090.189 
2,3.440  326 
34  800.248 
34.190.184 
36.18.')  398 
53.072.163 
45863.916 


VALUE    OF 
IMPORTS. 


$97,078,687 
.56.84r>.924 
7.').263.015 
.'>2  4l.5.!5,55 
r)0  .308  .^)26 
75.778.-295 
68  932  207 
71.09.3.819 
9.'i.288.697 
89.315.969 


AMOUNT    OF 

DUTIES 
COLLECTED. 


$13,970 

7..5.')7 
10.802 
10.013 
11300 
21318 
17  667. 
16.867. 
19  819. 
19.791. 


332  99 
441  36 
119  47 
12-2  87 

407  76 

408  .33 
8.">8  35 
275  10 
i:m  64 
732    93 


NO.  OF 

VESSELS 

f.nt'r'd. 


NO.   OF 

v'ss'ls 
cl'r'd. 


2118 

1734 

1917 

1.527 

2101 

1.5,59 

1920 

1.567 

18'i8 

1512 

2170 

1911 

2iil0 

1716 

2176 

19  9 

3047 

2009 

3010 

2455 

NO.  OP 

fass'g'rs 

ARRIVED^ 

^48..563~" ' 

60.712 

55  885 

74.114 

45.961 

60.597 

81.291 
I  ('8.264 
147.170 
176.671 


*  By-Laws  of  Cham1)er  of  Com.    Art.  12  and  13. 
t  By-Laws  of  Chamlier  of  Com.    Art.  20. 

\  We  are   indebted   to  Hon.    Cornelius  W.  Lawrence,  late  collector  of  the  port,  for 
the  materials  from  which  tliis  table  has  been  compiled. 


TRADE  AND  COMMERCE, 


65 


Steam-Packets. — Sai  I  i  ii  "■-Packets. 


The  moneyed  operations  of  the  city  are  scarcely  more  concentrated  in 
Wali-street,  than  various  kinds  of  business  in  other  localities.  Pearl-street 
has  been  until  recently  the  seat  of  the  importing  and  jobbing  dry  goods 
business,  though  now  that  branch  of  trade  has  extended  into  William, 
Pine,  Cedar,  Liberty,  and  other  streets.  The  wholesale  grocers  are  princi- 
pally congregated  in  Front-street  and  vicinity.  The  boot  and  shoe  dealers 
are  located  in  Pearl-street;  the  hat  and  fur  dealers  in  Water-street;  the 
hardware  dealers  in  Platt-street  and  vicinity;  and  the  leather  dealers  in 
Ferry-street.  South-street  contains  the  principal  shipping  houses  and  the 
oftices  of  most  of  the  packets  and  steamers  that  sail  to  foreign  ports. 

The  following  tables,  compiled  expressly  for  this  work,  present  much 
Statistical  information  relative  to  the  commerce  of  New- York  never  before 
given  to  the  public. 

LINES   OF  STEAM-PACKFTS 


SAILING 

FRO.n     THE     PORT     OF 

NEW-YOKK, 

NO. 

NAMES  OF 

TIME    (F 

DESTINATION. 

NAME  OF  LINE 

VES. 

VESSELS. 

SAILING. 

OWNERS  OR  AGENTS; 

Charleston, 

United  States 

2 

Southerner, 

weekly 

Sp<)rt'ord,Tiloston  &Co. 

Mail, 

Northerner, 

48  South-street. 

C  ha  J  res, 

United  States 

4 

Falcon,         Ohio. 

monthly. 

M.  O.  Roberts, 

Mail, 

Georgia,     Isth- 
mus, 

48  West-street. 

Chagres, 

New-York  and 

2 

Knipire  Citv, 

semi- 

J. Howard  &  Son, 

Cha^rres, 

Crescent  Citv. 

monthly. 

■  34  Broadway. 

Liverpool, 

Britisluk  North 

9 

Asia,           Africa, 

once     in 

E.  Ciinard,  Jr., 

American 

America,  Euro- 

2   week« 

38  Broadway. 

Royal  Steam 

pa,      Hibernia, 

from    N. 

Packet, 

Niagara,  Cana- 
da,      Cambria, 
Caledonia, 

Y.,  ditto 

from 

l{o.«ton. 

Liverpool, 

New- York  and 

5 

Atlantic,    Pacific, 

once     in 

E.  K.  Collins, 

Liverpool  U. 

Baltic,    Arctic, 

2  weeks, 

74  South-.street. 

States    Mail, 

Antarctic, 

Steam  Ship, 

Philadelphia, 

New-York    uid 

2 

H.  J.  Pease, 

twice 

Stanton  &  Spicer, 

Pliiladelphia, 

Sea  Gull, 

weekly. 

86  West-street. 

Savannah, 

N.  York  &  Sa- 

2 

Cherokee,     Ten- 

weekly. 

S.  L.  Mitchell, 

vannah  .Navi- 

nessee, 

194  Front-street 

gation  Co.. 

Soiithnmpton 

Ocean   Naviq'a- 

2 

Washins'ton, 

monthly,  Charles  H.  Sand, 

&  Bremen, 

tion  Steam, 

Hermann, 

1 

60  Broadway. 

REGULAR  LINES  OF  SAILING-PACKETS. 


DESTINA- 
TIO.V 


NAME  OF 

LINE. 


Antwerp     Old 

Z 
Ap'chicola  Ap'chicola 
Baltimore  !New 
!OM 

Regular 


Bermuda 
Boston 


Fremont 
Co'mercial 
jDispatch 
'N.England 


NO. 
VKS 


KIND   OF    I  TIME  OF 
VESSELS.       SAILING. 


OWNERS  OR  AGENTS. 


6  Ships 

3|Sliips 

GjBarques 

SiScliooners 

9  Schooners 

2}l'.rigs 

6  Schooners 

6  Schooners 

fi  Schooners 


semi  m'ly  Schmidt  &  Batchen,  105  &  107  Wall-st. 
monthly    [Z-ereffo  &.  Co.,  &6  Soiith-streot. 
evGweeks  E.  Ilulbert  &.  Co.,  84  South-street, 
ev  4  days    iMailler  <fc  Lord   108  Wall-street, 
ev  4  days   Johnson  and  Lowden,  115  W. ill-street, 
monthly    'Tucker  <fc  Lifirhtbourne,  122  Broad-st. 
semi  w'ly  J.  Atkins  &  Co.,  .38  Sontli-strnet. 
semi  w'ly  Dayton  &  Sprajrue.  107  Front-.<;treet. 
semi  w'ly  K.  &  W^.  Henrich,  28  CoentiesSI'p. 


6  Schooners    semi  w'ly  Foster  &  Nickerson,  23  South-street. 


66 


TRADE  AND  COMMERCE. 


Lines  of  Vessels. 


DESTINA- 
TKIN. 

Charleston 


Demorara 

Galverslon 

<( 

Georgeto'n 
Glasgow 

Hamburg 

Havre 

London 

Liverpool 
11 
<( 
(t 
« 
<t 
<{ 

niatanzas 

t< 

Mobile 
N.  Orleans 


Norfolk 
p.  tersburg 

Piiiladelp'a 

It 

Richmond 


St.  Marks 
(> 

Salnm 
Savannah 


VVabhington 
Wilm'gtoii 


NAME    OF 

NO. 

LINE. 

Vs. 

Patket  S'p 

8 

Union 

8 

Merchant>' 

6 

Co'mercial 

6 

Regular 

2 

St.r 

4 

N.Y.&Tex. 

6 

Regular 

8 

Com'ercial 

6 

Glasgow 

6 

Old 

8 

Union 

12 

X 

8 

SwalowT'l 

0 

Black  Star 

10 

Merchants' 

10 

Z 

8 

Co'mercial 

16 

Black  Ball 

8 

Red  Star 

4 

Dramatic 

4 

R'  gular 

5 

Regular 

6 

City 

7 

.Merchants' 

1(1 

Eaglo 

8 

Stanton's 

8 

Mutual 

6 

Holmes's 

7 

Union 

lo 

Old 

6 

Old 

6 

Hand's 

15 

Mac  Kee's 

6 

OM 

7 

Virginia 

6 

Merchants' 

6 

Dispatch 

8 

St.  IVLirks 

4 

Co'mercial 

3 

Brig 

6 

Old 

6 

New 

5 

Old 

5 

Roirular 

C 

Smith's 

6 

Old 

51 

NAMES  OF 
VKSSKLS. 

Ships 

S'ps«fe  B'gs 

Schooners 

Brigs 

Brigs- 

S'p.-&B'qs 

S'ps&B'qs 

Schooners 

Ships 

Ships 

S'ps  &  B'qs 


Ships 

Ships 
Ships 
Ships 
Ships 
Ships 
Ships 
Siiips 
Ships 
Ships 

B'qs  &  B'gs 
Brigs 
Brigs 

B'qs  ife  B'gs 
S'{)s  &;  B'gs 
Shij)s 

S'p.s  &  B'gs 
Ships 
Ships 
Schooners 
Schooners 
B'gs  <fe  S'rs 
Schooners 
Schooner.s 
Schooners 
Schooners 
B'g>  &  S'rs 
Bri-s 

Schooners 
B'qs  &  B'gs 
Brigs 

B'qs  ife  B'gs 
Schooners 
B  gs  &,  S'rs 
Schooners 
5  i  Schooners 


TIME  OF 
SATLTNG. 

weekly 
weekly 
weekly 
weekly 
monihly 
ev  15  days 
semi  m'ly 
weekly 
semi  m'ly 
ev  12(hiys 
semi  m'ly 

ev  10  days 

semi  m'ly 

semi  m'ly 

weekly 

weekly 

semi  ni'lj' 

weekly 

semi  m'ly 

momhiy 

monthly 

semi  m'ly 

semi  m'h' 

weekly 

weekly 

weekly 

ev  10  (lays 

ev  lo  (!a.\s 

ev  1(1  days 

ev  10  days 

weekly 

weekly 

daily 

weekly 

weekly 

weekly 

weekly 

ev  10  days 

monthly 

weekly 

weekly 

weekly 

weekly 

ev  1 0(1  ays 

weekly 

weekly 

weelky 


OWNERS  OR  AGENTS. 


T.  Wardle,  88  South-street. 
G.  Bulklev.  88  South-street. 
N.  L.  McCready  <S:(o..  M  Sojth. 
Dunham  &  Dimo",  67  South-st. 
J.  M.  Smilh  &  Co.    122  Broad-st. 
Hus.»iey  &  IMurray,  62  Soulh-st. 
J.  H.  Brower  &  Co.,  45  South-sf. 
Stur-es,  Clearman  &.  Co..  110  Wall 
Dunham  and  Dinion,  67  South-st. 
Woodhnll  &  Co.,  87  South-st. 
Schmi(lt&Batchen,l05&  1   7  Wall 
t  W.  Whitlock.  Jr.,    46  South-st. 
<FoK  &  Co.,  22  Broad-st. 
f  Bovd  &  Co,  88  Wall-st. 
J.  Griswold.  70  South-st. 
Grinnell,  Minturn  &,  Co,  78  South. 
Griiiiiell.  Minturn  &.  Co..  78  South. 
Roche.  Bro  ,  &  Co.    35  Fulton-st. 
Zerego  &  Co.,  i^G  Soulh-st. 
Ol.iev  &  Cotrell    61  Sonth-st. 
C.  H.  Marshall,  .38  Burling  Slip. 
Robert  Kermit,  76  South-st. 
Sp  fiord,  Tileston  &.  Co.,  48  South 
R.  C.  R.  ad,  27  South-st. 
Josliua  T.  Jones,  90  Wall-sl. 
Sttirges.  (  learman  &Co.,  110  Wall 
J.  W.  Ellwell.  57  South-st. 
Eagle  &.  Hazard.  4(»  S>uth-st. 
Thos.  P.  Stanton,  .^  Sout:!-st. 
MaiHer  &  Eonl,  108  Wall-st. 
W.  Nelson.  85  South-st. 
Frost  &  Hicks,  68  South-st. 
Sturges.  Clearman  &,(  o.,  110  Wall 
James  Hunter  &  Co..  153  IV1.  Lane. 
James  Hand.  16Coeuties  Slip 
\V.  J.  Me  Kee  &  Bro.,  42  Front. 
Allen  &.  Pa.vson,  134  Front-st. 
C   H.  &  W.  Pierson.  6.  South-st. 
Mailler  &.  Lord.  108  Wall-st. 
Rn.-S'  11  A  Norton.  31  OldSlip. 
E.  Hulbert  &  Co..  84  South-st. 
R.  \V.  Ropes,  44  Wall  St. 
S( urges,  Clearman  StCo.,  110  Wall 
Dunham  &  Dimon,  07  South-st. 
Demill  &  Co.,  186  Front-st. 
S.  L.  Mitchill,  194  Front-st. 
E.  S.  Powell.  104  Wall-st. 
Dollnor  &  Potter,  106  Front-st. 
N  L.  McCready  &  Bro.,  36  South. 


DESTINATION. 


Apalachicola 


Baltimore 


Belize 


LINES  OF  VESSELS  (NOT  REGULAR). 


NO.    Oli" 

VESSRI.S. 


6 
4 

10 
8 
5 
4 
3 
8 


KIND    OF 
VESSELS 

OWNRRS  OR  AGENTS. 

1 

Barques  &.  Brigs 
Barqu(!s  &.  Bri'.'s 
Har(iucs  <fc  Brigs 
Bar(iues  ifc  Brigs 
Schooners 
Schooners 
Schooners 
Ships 

Ralph  I'osf,  38  South-st, 
Ea;.'le  &  Hazard,  40  Soutll-St. 
Ru>sell  &  Norton.  31  Old  Slip. 
J.  W.  Ellwell.  .57  South-st. 
I.  Brig-rs,  40  Sonth-st,. 
W.  J    Mc  Kee  .t  Bio.,  42  Front-st. 
James  A.  Van  Blunt,  75  South-st. 
T.  Alexandre,  28  SoUth-st. 

TRADE  AND  COMMERCE. 


67 


Canal  Boats  and  Barges. 


DESTINATION. 

Boston 

Ca  ton 

Calais 

Cardenas 

Charleston 
>« 

China 


Eastport 
Fall  River 
Fredericksburg 

Havana 


India 

Kingston 

Liverpool 


MaracaiLo 
Wobile 


Nassau 

Neuborn 

New-GrencIIa 

New-Haven 

New-Orleans 

Pensacola 

Piiiladelphia 

Ricliniond 

Rotterdam 

St.  Johns 

Si.  Thomas 

San  Francisco 

Suvauuah 


No.  OB- 

NAME   OF 

VESSELS 

VESSEL. 

6 

Schooners 

3 

Brigs 

2 

Brigs 

1 

Brig 

6 

Brigs  &  Sch'rs 

12 

Brigi  &  bcli'rs 

2 

Ships 

4 

Ships 

2 

Ships 

13 

Scliooners 

8 

Schooners 

4 

Brigs 

3 

Brigs 

2 

Brigs 

2 

Bar(ines 

3 

S'p,  B'q,  &  B'g 

2 

Ships 

2 

Ships 

5 

Sloops 

4 

Ships 

2 

Ships 

3 

Ships 

4 

Ships 

4 

Ships 

2 

Ships 

1 

Ship 

2 

Ships 

1 

Bar<|ue 

5 

Bar<|ues  ic  Brigs 

6 

Ships 

10 

Barques  &  Brigs 

2 

Biirquc  &.  Brig 

5 

Schooners 

2 

Barque  &.  Brig 

6 

Sloops 

20 

Sliii)s  &  Barques 

1 

Brig 

12 

Schooners 

4 

Schooners 

6 

Ships  <fc  Barques 

30 

Brigs  &  Sch'rs 

4 

nar(}ues  &  Brigs 

2 

Sliii)s 

3 

Sciiooners 

8 

Brigs 

OWNERS  OR  AGENTS. 


E.  Lewis,  24  South-st. 

How  land  &  Aspinwall,  54  South-st. 
Smith  &  Boynion,  4  South-st. 

F.  (J.Thursion  &  Co.,  49  S.uih-st. 
Tooker.Sniyih  &.  Co.,  57  South-st. 
J.  VV.  Ell  we  11,  57  Soutli-st, 

Sl-ite,  Gardiner,  &.  Howell,  115  South. 
Howland  &  A!<j)inwall,  54  South-st. 
VVetmoro  &.  Cryder,  73  &:  74  South-st. 
Smith  &:  Boynton,  4  Soutii-si. 
r.  H.  Havins,  39  Burling  Slip. 
James  Hand,  Iti  Coenties  Slip. 
\V.  J.  Mc  Kce  &  Bro.,  42  Front-st. 
Sturges,  Clt'arnian,  &;  (^o  ,  110  Wall-st. 
J.  J    Taylor  &;  Co.,  41  South-st. 
M.  Taylor  &  Co.,  44  South-st. 
SpoHord,  Tileston  &c  Co.,  48  South-st. 
VVctmore  &  Cryder,  73  «k  74  South-st. 
R.  H.  Stone,  110  Murray-st. 
Taylor  &  Merrill,  36  Burling  Slip. 
Taylor  &  Ritch.  136  Front-st. 

D.  bgden,  66  VVall-st. 

J.  W.  Phillips,  52  South-st. 
Slate,  Gardiner  &  Howell,  115  South. 
Hussey   &  Murray,  62  Soulh-st. 
Everett  &  Brown,  68  South-st. 
Sturgcs,  CIrarman  &  Co.,  110  Wall-st. 
VV.  Linty,  165  Maiden  Lane. 
Eagle  &"  Hazard,  40  South-st. 

E.  Hullinrt&Co..  84  South-st. 
Ru.osell  &  Norton,  31  Old  Slip. 
A.  G.  Benson,  39  South-st. 

S.  L.  Mitchell,  194  Front-st. 
Everett  &c  Brown,  68  South-st. 
T.  Hemmingway,  116  South-st. 
J.  VV.  Ellwell.  57  South-st. 
E.  Hulhert  &:  Co,  84  South-st. 
VV.  J.  Mc  Kee  &  Bro.,  42  Front-st. 
\V.  J.  Mc  Kce  &c  Bro  ,  42  Front-st. 
SJchmidt  &  Batchen.  105  &  107  VVall-st 
W.  Burnhain.  7  South-st. 
Rus.sell  &c  Norton,  31  Old  Slip. 
Spofford,  Tileston  &  Co.,  48  youth-st. 
N.  L.  Mc  C ready  &  Bro ,  36  Souih-st. 
J.  W.  Ellwell,  57  South-st. 


TRANSPORTATION  LINKS 

OF  LAKE  AND  CANAL  BOATS  AND  BARGES. 


DESTINATION 


Albany 


Pinghampton, 
Buffalo, 


OWNBKS  OR  AGENTS. 


DESTINATION 


Wm.  Schuyler,  7  South-st.,  'Buffalo, 

L.  VV.  Blainard,  15  Southst.,' 

J.H.  Redfield  <fe  Co.  16S'th 

H.  N  Holt  <fe  Co.  9  Coent., 

C.  V.Clark,  16  South-.'^treet, 

J.  Hind,   I),  ''o.vfoid,  7  S'th,' 

C.  H.  Canfiel.l,  7  Coent.  S. 

D.  O.  Fanninir,  7.V  " 
H.  N.  Holt  &  Co.  9  " 
VVhoelf  r,Tracv&  Co.l9" 
J. S. Worth,  LA  Men,  23  " 
Chaniberlin&Oatman,29  " 


OWNERS  OB  AGENTS. 


Rice,  Clapp<fc  Co.  31  Coent- 
Evan  Griffith,  23 
R.  I.  Vande water,  108  B'd. 
S.  Thavor.  R.Meech,  "     " 
A.  Q.  Stol)l)iii^  107  " 

M.  M.  Caleb  &  Co.  109       " 
O.  P.  Scovoll,  113  •' 

VVaters&Ensworth.in      " 
E.  R.  I  ves,  L  H.  Moore,119'« 
do.  do.         •« 

Palmer,  Howell  &  Co  121  " 
IM.  B.  Spaulding,  123         " 


68 


TRADE  AND  COMMERCE. 


Lines  of  Proppllers. — Lines  of  Steam-Boats. 


DESTINATION. 


OWNERS  OR  AGENTS. 


Timothv  C.  D\vi?lU,  125  B'd. 
C.  Holiister,  H.  Allen,  127  " 
I.  H.  S.  Hulbert.  127  !' 

L  H.  Wilffus,  33  CoentiesS. 

Dansville,  James  <fe  MmxwcII,  119  B'd. 

Elmira,  Kimhall  &  Bidient,  8  South. 

Fort  Plain,  C.  C.  Nukerch,  8  Soutli-st. 

Fullonville,         W.  Harden.  8  South-street. 

Geneva,  Palmer,Howell&Co.  121  Bd. 

Hammond's  P.,  Jame.<:  &.  3Iax\vell,  119  B'd. 

Honesdale,  H.  \Vill)ur,  llO  Murray -st. 

Ithaca,  T.  Kimball,  8  South-street. 

Cliamplain,         L.  A.  Johnson,  9  CoentiesS 

Little  Falls,         H.  T.  Holmes,  8  Sonth-st. 

Oswego,  ll.  VV.  Campliell,  101  Broad. 

»'  IF.  S.  Littlcjohu,  100 

"  1 W.  H.<fc  G.  Jeuuison,  109  « 


DESTINATION 

1 

OWNERS  OR  AGE.NT8 

Oswego 

P.M.  Humplirev.  113  Broad- 

1 

J.  S.  WvclifT,  23  Coenties  S- 

I 

J.  L.  Warner,  33 

« 

R.  L  Vandewater,  108  B'd. 

(( 

A.  He?rman,  23  Water-st. 

<i 

J.  Gilliert,  17  Coenties  Slip. 

Penn-Yan, 

John  Rice,  109  'road-street. 

Philade 

phi  a. 

John  BrigL's,  40  South-street 

Rochester, 

G.  H.  Henjamin,  33  Coenties 

(1 

■ 

Waters  &.  Ensworth,  117  H. 

Rome, 

A.  Wliedon,  8  Sontli-.street. 

Schenectady, 

Nelson  Cole  &  Co.  116  West. 

Troy, 

W.  S.  Gritrith,  22  Soutli-st. 

it 

A.  C.  Tefl-t,  23  Coenties  S. 
Pope  &  Catlin,  33     " 

Utica, 

G. Newell  <t  L  Gray,  127 Bd. 

LINES  OF  TROPELLERS. 


NO. 

TIMK    OF 

DESTINATION. 

NAME  OF  LINE. 

VES. 

2 

SAILING. 

POINT  OF  DEPARTURE. 

Baltimore, 

N.  Y.  &  Baltimore  Line, 

weekly. 

Foot  of  Albany-Street,  N.  R. 

•( 

Baltimore  Propeller, 

4 

weekly, 

Foot  of  Battery  Place,  N.  R. 

Boston, 

Bo^ton  Propeller, 

3 

e'y  2  days. 

Bet.  Bat'ry  PI.&  Morris-st.  N.R. 

i> 

Norwich  &.  Worcester, 

3 

e'y  2  da^s. 

Foot  of  Cortlaudt-street,  N.  R 

Hartford, 

Buck's  Steam  Transp., 

4 

e'y  3  days. 

Foot  of  Old  Slip,  E.  R. 

Kindcrhook, 

Kinderhook  Propeller, 

1 

weekly, 

Between  Duaue  «fe  Jav  sts,  N.R, 

Newark, 

Newark  Propeller, 

1 

daily, 

Foot  of  Dev-street,  N.  R. 

Philadelnhia, 

Merchants' Canal, 

4 

e'y  2  days. 

Foot  of  Buttery  Place,  N.  R, 

LTNRS  OF  STEAM-BOATS. 
The  name  of  a  place  in  the  second  column,  denotes  the  principal  destination  of  the 
boat,  to  which  reference  mu.st  be  made  for  information  respecting   the  intermediate 
landin^r. 


DESTINA- 
TION. 


TI.ME   OK 
SAILING. 


POINT  OF 
DEPARTURE. 


Albany 


Allen's  Point 
Amboy 

« 

Astoria 
(t 

Barrytown 

(I 

it 
Boston 


Bridgeport 
Bristol 


daily 


/wice  daily 
Norwich 
twice  daily 


Chambers-st. 

Pier  24,  N.  R. 

Pier  26,  N.  R. 

Robin.>.on-st. 

Pier  IG,  N   R. 

;Pier  26,  N.  R. 

Cortlaiidl-st. 

Battery-Place. 
N.  Br'nswick  Robiusou-st. 

"  Harclay-street. 

4  times  daily  Peck  Slip. 
Flushing        |Fulton-st.,  E.R 
'J'roy  Chanibers-st. 

Hudson  Ce(Iar-.>-treet. 

Saui^erties       Murray-street. 
v.Sioiiinu'tou  Pier  2,  N.  R. 
V.  Fall  River  Pier  2,  N.  R. 
via  Norwich    Cortlandt-st. 
!via  N.  Haven  Prrk  Slip. 
daily  Catliariue-st. 

Hudson  (%'dar-street. 

"  iRobinson-st. 

"  iChambers-st. 


DESTINA- 
TION. 

Caldwcll'sL 


Carthasre 
Catskill 


tTentreport 
Clo-ter 
Cold  Spring 


"       I'- 1 

,C»)lunibia 
iCornwall 
Co.xsackie 


TIME  OF 
SAILING. 


Hudson 
i( 

i( 
Troy 

Nevv  burgh 
N.Haniburgli 

d'ly  exc.Sat. 
tt 

.\lbany 

T  roy 

Colli  Spring 

Haverstraw 

.•\lbany 

Kondout 

Newburgh 

daily 

Albany 

Newburgh 

Albany 


POINT  OF 
DEPARTURE; 

Chambers-st. 

Pier  26,  N.  R. 

Cedar-street. 

Cortlaudt-st. 

Warren-street. 

!Murray-street. 

Libertj'-street. 

Pier  26,  N.  R. 

Cliambers-st. 

Corllandt-st. 

Fulton  St.,  E.R. 

Chambers-st. 
(t 

Pier  26,  N.  R. 
Chambers-st. 
Warren-street. 
Fulton-st.,E.  R. 
Cortlandl-st. 
Warren  street. 
Kobinsoii-st. 
Chambers-bt. 


TRADE  AMD  COMMERCE. 


69 


Lines  of  Steamboats. 


DESTIXA- 
TION. 

Coxsackie 


I        TIME  OF  POINT  OF 

I       SAILING.  DEPARTURE. 

'Alhiiiiy  jPier26,  X.  R, 

'♦  Tioy  .  Cortland  t-st. 

Cozzens's  L.  Newliurgli  'Warrcii-street. 

"  lAlbany  ,Cliainl)ftrs-st. 

Derby  'eveiy  -2  ilavs  Peck  Slip. 

Dobb'sFerry  PepkskiH  |Chainbers-st. 

E.  HaiJilain     Hiirtlord  Peck  Slip. 
;Roii(lout  Cliariibers-st. 
j  Wilbur  Murrav-street. 

Hartford  Pnck  Slip. 

{daily  Pier  2,  N.  R.       I 

j.Xewbiirg'h  \Varreu-street.  I 

.  ._ ^         I  twice  daily  iFulton-st.,  E.  R. 

F.  Hamilton    .Mid'town  P.  Chainbers-st.       ' 
Garrison's  L.  \.Haniburg:h  .'Vrnrray-street. 
Glen  Cove       (7old  Spring  Fiilton-st.,  E.  R. 
Grassy  Point  Haverstraw  Cliambers-st 


1     DESTINA- 

I  TIO.V. 

Milton 
iNewark 
I         " 

.V.  Baltimore 


TIME  OF  p.  INT  OF 

SAILING.  DEPARTURE. 


Hudson 
daily 
(I 

Albany 


£lmore';j  L. 

Es.sex 
Fall  River 
Fishkill  L. 
Flushing 


I  "  Troy 

-N Brunswick  daily 


Newburffh 


IV  Hamburgh 


Hampton        lAlbany 


Hartford 
Hasli  n:rs 


Troy 
Hudson 
daily 
P.-ekskill 


Haverstraw   daily 


Hudson 


Huntington 
Huvlor's  L. 
Hyde-Park 


Peekskill 
daily 
Albany 


Troy 

Cold  Spring 

Haverstraw 

Albany 

Rondout 
i  Wilbur 

Hudson 
'Troy 

Ilondout 

Wilbur 

Midtown  P 


Pier  26,  N.  R. 

Cortlandt-street 

Cedar-street. 

Peck  Slip. 

Cliambers-st. 

Cliambers-st.       ' 

V'esey->treet. 

Cliambers-st.       ! 

Cedar-slreet.       i 

Robinson-street; 

Chambf'rs-st. 

Pier  2G,  N'.  R.      ' 

Cortlandt-st. 

Fnlton-sl.,  E 

Cliamb?rs-st. 


Albany 


Troy 
Rondout 
Hudson 
twice  w'kly 
Rondout 
•  laily 


iVew-Haven 
New-[^ondon;  Norwich 
\e\v-Paltz       Ilondout 
Newport 
X.  Rochelle 
Xortliport 


I   ^      " 
Xorwalk 
Xorwicli 

iXyack 


Fall  River 

daily 

(^old  Sprin? 

ever}' 2  daysjCatharine-st 


R. 


Cedar-street. 

Dey-street. 

Barclay-street. 

Chambers-st. 

Pier26,  X.R. 

Cortlandt-st. 

Barclay-street. 

Robiuson-st. 

Warren  street. 

Cliambers-st. 

Pier  26,  X.  R. 

Robinson-st. 

Cortlandt-st. 

Cliambers-st. 

Cedar-street. 

Murray-street. 

Cliambers-st. 

Peck  Slip. 

Cortlandt-st. 

C!iambers-st. 

Pier  2,  X.  R. 

Fulton-st ,  E.R. 


daily 


Kelley's  L. 

Keyport 

Kindorhook    Albany 

'<  I  >> 

Kingston  P.    weekly 
Albany 


Lewis's  L. 

Lyme 
Maiden 


Troy 

'Hudson 
Rondout 
.Wilbur 
'Hartford 
Albany 


Pier  26,  X.R. 

Cliambers-st. 
I.Murray-street. 
jCedar-street. 
iCortl.'indt-street 
IChanibers-st. 
[Murray-street. 

Chambers-st. 
I  '* 

Pier  26,  X.  R.     ' 

.Murray-street,    i 
ICIiamhers  st.       I 

Pier  26,  X.R.      I 

Robinson-street 

Cortlanrlt-st. 

(,'edar-street. 

Cliamliers-st. 

Murray-street, 

Peck  Slip. 

Cliaml)prs-st. 

Pier  26.  X.R. 

Cortlandt-st. 


Haverstraw 
Peekskill 

Oyster  Bay     Cold  Spring    Fulton-st.,  E.R. 
Peekskill         twice  daily      Chambers-st. 

.\ew  burgh       Warren -street. 
Pelham's  L.     Rondout  Cliambers-st. 

Wilbur  .Murray-street. 

jPerth  Amboy. Si  nit  li.Vmboy  I  Battery  Place. 
;         "  JX  BrunswickjBarclay-sircet 

j         "  I  "  Robinson-st. 

jPliiladelphia  SouthAmboy  Battery  Place. 
iPierniont         3  times  daily' Duaiie-street. 


Fulton-st.  E.R. 

Cortlandt-st. 

Chambers-st. 


"  Troy  •  „,  _. 

Marlborough  X.Hamburgh  Murrav-street 
M.  Haddani     Hartford  Peck  Slip. 

Bliddletown  !  '«  " 

"     Point  daily  Chambers-st. 

Milton  .Vlbany  I  " 


I  Troy 
iRoudou 


Pier  26,  X.R. 
Cortlandt-street 
(Chambers-st. 


Port  Chester  . Norfolk 
Po'kecpsie       Albany 


Trov 

Wilbur 

Hudson 

Rondout 

Fall  River 

Albany 


ProvideTice 
Redhook  L. 


Rhinebeck 


Hudson 

Troy 

Saugerties 


Fulton-st.,  E.R. 

Chambers-st. 

Pier  26,  X.  R. 

Robin*on-st. 

Cortlandt-st. 

.Murray-street. 

Cediir-street. 

Chambers-st. 

Pier  2,  X.R. 

Chambers-st. 

Pier  26,  X.R. 

Cedar-street. 

Cortlandt-st. 

Murrav-street. 


Wilbur 

Haverstraw 

Hartfonl 


Rockland  L. 

Rocky-Hill 

Rockv-Xeck  Xorwalk 
daily 
Wilbur 


Rondout 
RossviUe 


Saugerties 
Savbrook 


Shrewsbury   daily 


I  Chambers-st. 
Peck  Slip. 
I  Fulton-st.,  E.R. 
Cliani!)ers-st. 
.Murray-street. 
N  Brunswick  Barclay-slreet. 

"  iRohinson-st. 

'twice  dailv    Murray-street 
Hartford  '       Peck  Slip. 


IPeck  Slip. 


70 


TRADE  AND  COMMERCE. 


List  of  Ferries. — Piers  of  New-York. 


DKSTINA- 

TI.MK  OF 

POINT  OF 

UKSTINA- 

TIME    OF                POINT  OF 

TIOV. 

SAILING. 

DEPAr.TURE. 

TION. 

SAILING. 

DEPARTrBE. 

Siii!r-Si;i? 

Peek.-kill 

Chambcrs-st. 

Trov 

daily 

Cortlandt-st. 

Sneedeu's  L. 

Havcrsiraw 

i( 

Verplanck's 

Peekskill 

Chanibers-st. 

SoutliAiuboy 

twice  dailv 

Batterv  Place. 

" 

N. Hamburgh 

Murray -street. 

(( 

N  Brunswick 

Robinsoii-st. 

West-Camp 

Hudson 

Cedar-street. 

(t 

i> 

Barclav-street. 

West-Point 

Albany 

Cliambers-st. 

Stamford 

Norwaik 

Fulton-street. 

(( 

II 

Pier  26,  N.  R. 

Stoniii^ton 

(lailv 

Pier  2,  N.  R. 

<c 

Troy 

Corilandt-st. 

Stratford 

Derby 

Peck  Slip. 

(( 

Hudson 

Cedar-street. 

Stuyvesant 

Albany 

Chaiibers-st. 

II 

New  burgh 

Warren-street. 

Tarry  town 

Ppckskill 

Cliambers-st. 

Whitestone 

daily 

Fulion-st.,  E.R. 

Tottoii's  L. 

N  Brunswick 

Barclay-street,  i 

'Wilbur 

twiee  weekly 

Murray-street. 

«( 

« 

|Robinsoa-st.      | 

Youkers 

IPeekskill. 

Chambers-st. 

LIST  OF  FERRIES. 


TIME  OF 

DESTINATION. 

NAME  OF  FERRY. 

SAILING. 

LOCATION. 

Astoria,  Hallet's  Point, 

Hell-gate, 

ey'rv  20  m- 

Foot  of  86ih-street. 

Brooklyn,  Fulion-street, 

Fulton, 

ever}'  5  ni- 

Fulion-street. 

"          Atlantic-street, 

South, 

ever  J'  8  m. 

Whitehall-street. 

"          Hamilton  Avenue, 

JIamilton, 

ev'ry  15  m. 

II             1. 

"          Main-street, 

Catliarine, 

evry  10  m. 

Catharine-street 

"          Jacksou-strcet, 

Navy  Yard, 

ev'ry  10  m. 

Walnut-street. 

Elizabetliport, 

Elizabethport&N.Y. 

1,  9,  5,  6, 

attery  Place. 

Fort  Lee  and  Bull's  Ferry, 

Fort  Lee, 

Canal-.^tr^et. 

Green-wood  Cemetery, 

Green-wood, 

ev'ryShrs. 

Canal-street. 

Hobokeu, 

Barclay-street, 

ev'ry  15  m. 

Barclay-street. 

11 

Canal-street, 

ev'ry  15  m. 

Canal-street. 

i< 

Christopher-street, 

ev'ry  15  m 

Christopher-streeL 

Jersey  City, Montgomery-street, 

Jersey  City, 

ev'ry  15  m. 

Cortlandt-street. 

Staten  Island,  Quarantine,  Sla- 

Staten  Island, 

hourly,  ex- 

Whitehall-street. 

pleton,  &  Vander- 

cept  12  M. 

hilt's  Landing, 

"        »       New-Briirhton. 

Port   Richmond    and 

9,    12,    3J, 

R  attery  Place. 

Sailors"  Snuff  Har- 

New Brighton, 

6, 

bor,   Factorvville, 

&  Port  Richmond, 

Williamsburg,  South  Seventh-st. 

Peck  Slip, 

ev'ry  15  m 

Peck  Slip. 

II                11             II          11 

Houston-street, 

ev'ry  10  ni. 

Houston-street. 

"              Grand-street, 

Grand-street, 

ev'ry  10  ni. 

Grand-street. 

PIERS  OF  NEW-YORK. 


EAST  RIVER. 
1,  2,  Wliitehall-street. 

3,  IMoore-street. 

4,  Broad-street. 

5,  b.B'd-st.  &  CocnticsS 
6,7,  8,  Coonties  Slip. 

9,  Cuvlor's  Alley. 
10,  h.  Cuvler'sA.  &.  Old  S 
11,12,  Old  Slip. 

13,  Gouverneur's  Lane. 

14,  .lones's  liane. 
15,16,  Wall-street. 

17,  Pine-street. 

18,  Maiden  Lane. 

19,  Fletcher-street. 
20,21,  Burling  Slip. 

22,  Fulton-street. 

23,  Bcekman-streot. 


24,  h.Beekman  &  Peck  S. 
2.5,  Peck  Slip. 
26,27,  b.  Peck  S.  &  Dover-st 

28,  b.  Dover  &  Roosevelt. 

29,  Roosevelt-street. 

30,  b.  Roosevelt  &.  Jumes. 
31,32,  James  Slip. 

33.  Oliver-street. 
34,3.5,  Catharine  Slip. 

36,  b.Catirne&  Markets. 
37.38,  Market  Slip. 

39,  b.  Market  &,  Pike  S'ps, 
40,  41,  Pike  Slip. 

42.  b.  Pike  &  Rutgers  S's 
43,44,  RniL'Prs  Slip. 

45,  b.  Uutgors  S.  &  Jefsn 

46,  Jefferson  street. 

47,  b.  Jefl'crson  &.  Clinton 


48,  Clinton-street. 
49,50.  b.  Clinton  &  Mont'ry. 

51,  Montgomerj'-street. 
52,  53,  Gouvernenr  Slip. 
,55,   )  Gonverneur  &  Wal- 

56,    Sunt  Slips. 

.57,  Walnut. 
58,59,  b.  Walnut  <fe  Corlears. 

CO,  Corlcars-street. 


NORTH  RIVER. 

1,  Batterv  Place. 
2,  3.  b.  Biit'ry  P.  &  Morris. 

4,  Morris-street. 
5,  6,  7,  b.  Morris  <fe  Rector. 

8,  Rector-street. 
9,  10,  b.  Rector  &  Carlisle. 


TRADE  AND  COMMERCE. 


71 


Atlantic  Dock  Co. — Pilotage. 


11,  Carlisle-street. 

12,  Alliuiiy-^ireet. 

13,  l).A!l)..iiy  &  Cedar. 

14,  Cedar-slreet. 

15,  Liberty-sireet. 

16,  i).  Libf"rty  &  Cortland t 
17,  18,  CDrtluiid't-^tieet. 

19,  Ii.  Cortlaudt  &  Dey-st 

20,  Dey-street. 
21,22,  Fulton-i^treet. 

23,  V'espy-strpet. 

24,  b.Vesey  &■  Barclay. 

25,  Barcliiy-streel 

26,  b.  Biirciuy  &  Rob'son 

27,  Robinson-street. 


28,  Murray-street. 

29,  Warren-street. 

30,  Chambers-street. 

31,  DuatiH-street. 

32,  b.  Duutie  and  Jay-sts. 

33,  J;iy-street.. 

34,  Harri.<on-street. 

35,  Fraiiklin-street. 

36,  North  Moore-street. 

37,  Beach-street. 

38,  Hubert-street. 

39,  Vestry-street. 
39V,  Dcsbrosse.^-street. 

40,  Watts-street. 


42,  Canal-street. 
43, 44,  b.  Spring  Si.  Cliarlton. 

45,  Cliarlton-strcet. 

46,  Kini;-street. 

47,  Haniersley-street. 

48,  Ciarkson-street. 

49,  Leroy-street. 

50,  Morton-street. 
50j,  B:urow-sitreet. 

51,  Christopher-street. 

52,  Aino<-street. 

53,  Cliarles-street. 

54,  Perry-street. 

55,  Hammoud-street. 


41,  b.  Hobokeu  &  Canal. 
The  rapid  extension  of  our  commerce  has  presented  urgent  demands  for 
the  accommodation  of  boats  and  vessels  in  port.  To  increase  the  com- 
mercial facilities  of  Xevv-York,  by  the  erection  of  piers,  wharves,  and 
basins,  was  therefore  the  object  of  the  incorporation,  in  1S40,  of  the 
Atlantic  Dock  Company,  with  a  capital  of  one  million  of  dollars.  The 
operations  of  this  company  cover  forty  acres  of  water  surface  in  the  south 
part  of  Brooklyn,  and  they  have  erected  about  one  hundred  four-story 
granite  warehouses.     The  office  of  the  company  is  at  74  Broadway. 

Pilotage  for  the  port  of  New- York  has  been,  until  recently,  regulated 
by  law,  but  on  the  1st  of  April,  1S45,  the  State  government,  owing  to 
obvious  difficulties  connected  with  legislative  monopolies,  repealed  all 
laws  relating  to  pilots  and  pilotage  by  way  of  Sandy  Hook,  and  left  it  to 
the  merchants  of  New- York  to  protect  their  own  interests.  Two  associa- 
tions have  been  formed  under  the  titles  of  The  Board  of  Pilot  Commis- 
sioners, (office,  37  South-street,)  and  The  Nkvv-York  State  Pilots* 
Association,  (office,  179  South-street,)  who  issue  certificates  to  pilots, 
and  whose  prices  for  pilotage  are  the  following: 

For  every  vessel  drawing  |  Inward  Outward  If  boarded  out  of  sight  of  Sandy  Hook  Lijh^ 
Less  than  14  ft.,  per  foot  $2,00  $1,50  ;  House.  |th  more.  From  Nov.  1st  to  April 
14,  and  less  th m  18,  '•  •'  2,50  1.75  |  1st,  $2  added  to  full  pilotage,  if  draught 
18,  and  upwards         ""       3,00         2,25     !     is  les.>  than  10  feel,  otherwise,  $4. 

Pilotage  of  every  United  States'  or  foreiu'n  armed  vessel,  per  foot,  .$5,00. 

"        "       "      foreigu  merchant  vessel  not  privileged  by  law,  ^th  more  than  regular 
rates 

The  transportation  from  the  \orth  to  the  Easf  River,  and  vice  versa,  is  for 
A  74  gun-ship,  $20 — X  friu'ate,  $15 — A  sloop-of-war,  $10 — A  merchant-vessel,  $5 
From  Quarantine,  ith  of  inward  pilotage.     Hauling  into  river,  $2.     For  every  day's 

detention,  $3. 

The  New-Jersey  Commissioners  of  Pilotage,  (office,  105  South- 
street,)  appointed  by  the  Governor  and  Senate  of  New- Jersey,  are  a  similar 
association,  and  their  prices  for  pilotage  are  the  same. 

The  PIellgate  Pilots  (offices,  24  Coenties  Slip,  and  corner  of  Pike 
and  South  streets)  are  incorporated  by  the  Slate,  and  are  allowed  to  receive 
the  following  prices : 


72 


TRADE  AMD  COMMERCE. 


Rail  Roads. — Foreign  Consuls. 


From  or  to  Sand's  P't,  or  Execution  Rocks  From  or  to  Hellirate, 
For 


•"or  every  schooner  or  sloop,   per  ft.,  §1,50  For  every  scliooner  or  sloop,     per  ft.,  $l,i 

"         "      square  rigged  vessel,   "  "       1,75'    "         ''       square  rigged  vessel,  "   "       1, 

From  Nov.  1st  to  April  1st,  $1  added  to  pilotage  of  every  schooner  or  sloop  :  $'2  to  tb 


00 

,25 

that 


every  square-rigged  vessel. 


New- York  is  not  only  favorably  situated  for  water  communication  with 
the  other  portions  of  the  continent.  The  most  important  railroads  in  the 
country  meet  within  her  borders.  Below  is  a  list  of  those  directly  ter- 
minating in  the  city. 

LIST  01    RAIL  ROADS. 

Camden  and  Amboy  Rail-Roau,  7  Battery  Place. — 2  trains  daily  to  Philadelphia. 
Hudson  River  Rail-Road,  foot  of  .3lst-street,  will  .voon  be  opened  as  far  as  Peekskill. 
Long  Island  Rail  Road,  foot  of  Atlantic-street,  Brooklyn. — 4  trains  daily  to  Jamaica, 

2  to  Yaphank.  and  1  to  Greenport. 
Nkw-Jersey  Rail-Road,  foot  of  Cortlandt  and  Liberty  streets. — 12  trains  daily  to 

Newark,  7  to  Railway,  5  to  New-Brunswick,  and  ."3  to  Pliiladelphia. 
New-York  and  Erie  Rail-Road,  foot  of  Duane-street. — 4  trains  daily  to  Owego. 
New-York  and   Hable.-vi  Rail-Road,  No.  4  Tryon  Place,  oppo.vite"  City  Hall. — 12 

trains  daily  to  Harlem,  7  to  Williainsbridge,  5  to  White  Plains,  4  to  Crotou  Falls, 

and  2  to  Dover  Plains. 
New-Y  rk  and  New- Haven  Rail-Road,  29  Canal-street. — 5  trains  daily  to  Norwalk, 

and  4  to  New-Haven. 
Paterson  and  Hudson  River  Rail-Road,  75  Cortlandt-street. — 6  trains  daily  to 

Paterson. 

The  steamboats  to  Bridgeport,  New-Haven,  Norwich,  Stonington,  and  Fall  River, 
connect  with  railroads  at  those  places,  and  are,  for  the  most  part,  owned  by  the  rail- 
road companies. 

The  commercial  relations  of  New- York  have  been  extended  to  almost 
every  country  of  the  world,  and  every,  civdized  nation  of  character  is 
reoresented  at  her  port,  as  wlW  appear   from   the  following   list  of  the 

FOREIGN  CONSULS  FOR  THE  PORT  OF  NEW-YORK. 


COUNTRY. 


NAME. 


Argentine   Confederation. — Carlos   de    Al- 

vear.  Minister  Plenipotentiary,  77IJB'dw. 

Schuyler  Living^ton,  Consul,  24  Bi^aver. 
Austria. — .Auiiust  Belmont;  (i7  Wall-street. 
Baden. — John  W.  Schmidt,  56  New-.-trect. 
Bavaria. — (ieorge  H.  Sienion,  114  Pearl-st. 
Belffinm. — Au<iuste  Moxhet,27  Beaver-st. 

Hippolvle  Mali,  (V.C.)  27  Beaver-street. 
Brazil— \.om»  F.  de  Aguiar,  34  Platt-sl. 

Louis  F.  de  Figaniere.  (V.  C.)         " 
Bremen. — Hermann  Oeli  icli.-i,  73  New-st. 
Brunswick. — Jo.--e|)h  H   Dreyer,  81  Beaver. 

(i.  J.  Bechtel,  Jr.,  Acting  Con.-nl,       " 
Buenos  Ayres. — S.  Livinijston,  24  Beaver. 
C'Aih.— Franklin  H.  Delano,  78  Sonth-st. 
Denmark. — IvhvanI  Bc(  h,  C'J  Wes-t-street. 

Andreas  A.  lyicincUe,  Act.  Con.,  9:5  Wall. 
France. —  Aug.  Siniounel,  72  Greenwich-st. 

Louis  Borg,  (Vice  Consul  )       " 
Frankfort. — Fred.  Wissman,5  Hanover-st 
Great  Britain. — A.  Barclay,  58  Barcluy-st. 

Robert  Bunch,  CV.C.)  " 


COUNTRY. 


NAME. 


Greece. — Eugene  Dutilh,  23  S.  William-st. 
Hamburg.  — T.  Des  Arts,  (absent)  57  Broad. 

Ferdinand  Karck,  Acting  Con.,         " 
Hanover. — L.  H.  Meyer,  (ab.'-ont)  34  New. 

PMward  Sintken,  (V.  C.)  34  New-street. 
Hesse  Electoral.— C.  W.  Faber,  40  New, 
Hesse,  Grand  Duc/iy  of..— Anthony  Boller- 

mann,  156  Broadway. 
Luhcc. — George  W.  Kruger,  73  New-street. 
Mecklenbnrgh.-C.A.  Heckscher,  44  South. 
Mexico. — W.  (i.  Stewart,  (V.C.)  74  Bd'way. 
Montevideo. — John  L.  Darby,  li.  115  Av.  4. 
,  George  F.  Darby,  (V.  C.)  69  Wall-street. 
Naples. — Sebastiano  Dacorsi,  71  Broud-st. 
Nassau. — William  A.  Kobbe,  17  William  St. 
Netherlands.  -John  C.  Zimmerman,  24  Ex- 

chansre  Place. 
New    G  avada. — Gregoria  Dominguez,  30 

Coenlies  Slip. 
7V«rw«y._Clandius  F.  Habicht,  94  Wall-st. 
Oldenburg. — Edmund  Pavenstedt,  38 New. 
Pe/M.-— Thomas  Guhvay,  46  Water-street. 


TRADE  AND  COMMERCE.  73 


Post  Office. — Rates  of  Postag^e. 


COUNTKr.  NAME. 


Portugal. — C.  H.   S.   de  la   Figaniere,    6" 

Water-street. 
Prussia. — John  W.  Schmidt,  56  New-st. 
Roman  States. — 1>.  B.  Binssc,  83  William. 
Russia. — Alexis  Eustaphieve,  69  West-st. 

Geor<reE.Kunhardt,  (V.  C.)  " 

Sardinia. — Sebastiano  Dacorsi,  71  Broad 
Saxe  JUenburg^. — Carl  Hiurichs,  114  Pearl. 


COUNTHY.  NAME. 


Saxe  Weimar. — Eisenach  Stucken,34  Xew 
Sazovy. — John  W.  Schiiiidt,  56  New-street* 
Sicilies  (the  two). — S.  Dacorsi,  71  Broad-sf 
Spain. — F.  Stousrhton,  115  Leonard-street. 
Sweden. — Claudius  E.Habiciit,  94  \\'all-st. 
Switzerland. — Louis  P.  de  Luze,  43  New-st. 
Tuscany. — W.  H.  Aspinwall.  55  South-st. 
Venezuela — Tlios.  Williams,  51  Greeiiw'ch. 
Saxe  Coburg  and  Gotha. —  •'  "         1  Wurtemberg. — Leopold  Bierwirth,  40  New, 

To  a  commercial  community,  the  rapid  transmission  of  intelligence  is 
highly  desirable.  The  Post-Office  department,  the  magnetic  telegraph, 
and  the  commercial  journals,  afford  such  mediums  to  the  merchants  oi 
New- York. 

The  Post-Office  now  occupies  the  old  Middle  Dutch  Church,  situated 
on  Cedar,  Nassau,  and  Liberty  streets.  This  building  is  venerable  for  its 
age,  and  noted  for  its  historical  associations.  It  was  erected  in  1729. 
During  the  war  of  the  Revolution  it  was  desecrated  by  the  British  soldiery.' 
The  interior  wood-work  was  demolished,  and  ihe  building  used  first  as  a 
prison,  and  afterwards  as  a  riding  school  for  practice  in  the  art  of  hor.se- 
manship.  In  1S44,  its  use  as  a  church  was  relinquished,  and  a  seven- 
years  lease  given  to  the  general  government,  at  the  annual  rent  of  ^-3000. 

The  New-York  Post-Oflice  is  an  immense  establishment.  About  sixty- 
seven  clerks  are  employed  in  the  various  departments.  Some  portion  of 
them  are  on  duty  at  every  hour  of  the  day  and  night,  so  that  the  office  is 
never  closed.  About  40,000  letters,  and  three  times  that  number  of  news- 
papers, pass  through  the  Post  Office  daily. 

The  present  postmaster  is  William  V.  Brady.  The  hours  for  delivery 
are  from  7,  3-4  A.  M.  to  7,  P.  M.,  daily,  with  the  exception  of  Sunday, 
when  the  office  is  open  from  9  to  10,  A.  M.,  and  from  12  1-2  to  1  1-2, 
P.  M.  For  general  convenience,  it  may  be  well  to  subjoin  the  following 
schedule  of  the 

RATES  OF  POSTAGE. 

Single  IjETTKRs,  or  any  number  of  pieces  not  exceeding  half  an  ounce,  300  miles 
or  le;=s,  5  cents  ;  if  over  300  mi  Ics,  10  cents  :  over  half  an  ounce,  and  not  exceediiior  an 
ounce,  double  postage.  For  each  additional  ounce,  or  part  thereof,  single  postage  is 
added. 

Newspapers,  not  exceeding'  1900  square  inches  in  size,  under  100  miles,  or  any 
distance  within  the  state,  1  cent:  over  100  miles,  and  out  of  the  state,  U  cents.  For 
larger  sizes  the  same  postage  is  charged  as  on  pamphlets.  Transient  newspapers  must 
be  prepaid. 

Pamphlets,  Magazines,  and  Periodicals,  not  exceedin?  an  ounce,  for  any  dis- 
tance, 2V  cents.  Each  additional  ounce,  or  fraction  over  half  an  ounce,  1  cent.  A 
fractional  excess  of  less  than  iialfan  ounce  is  not  counted. 

Circulars  and  Handbills,  of  every  description,  unsealed,  for  any  distance,  3 
cents  each  sheet,  prep.iid. 

Drop  Letters,  (not  mailed,)  2  cents.  Advertised  letters  are  charged  the  cost  of 
adverltiiing,  nut  exceeding  4  cents. 

4 


74  TRADE   AND  COMMERCE. 


New-York  Cheap  Postage  Association. 


FOREIGN  AND  SEA  POSTAGE.— Letters.  To  Havana,  from  any  part  of  the 
United  States,  single  rate,  12A^  cenis  ;  Chagres,  20  cents  ;  Panama,  30  cents;  prepaid.  To 
United  States  territories  on  the  Pacific,  40  cents,  prepaid,  or  not. 

To  England,  Ireland,  or  Scotland,  from  any  part  of  the  United  States,  by  British  or 
American  steamers,  24  cents  a  single  rate,  prepaid  or  not.  Letters  on  which  less  than 
24  cents  have  been  paid,  are  considered  unpaid. 

To  the  following  foreign  countries  and  places,  the  American  postage  must  be  prepaid, 
Scents  a  single  rate,  if  sent  by  a  British  steamer,  and  21  cents,  if  sent  by  an  American 
steamer — the  residue  of  the  postage  being  paid  in  each  foreign  country — Alexandria, 
Brunswick,  Beyroot,  Dardanelles,  Denmark,  France,  German  States,  Gibraltar,  Greece, 
Mecklenburg  Schwerin,  Mecklenburg  Strelitz,  Moldavia,  Naples,  Norway,  Oldenburg, 
Poland,  Prussia,  Roman  States,  Russia,  Saxony,  Scutari,  Smyrna,  Sweden,  Switzer- 
land, Turkey  in  Europe,  and  Tuscany,  via  Marseilles;  and  Algeria,  Austria  and  the  Aus- 
trian States,  Baden,  Bavaria,  Belgium,  Bremen,  Hamburg  and  Cuxhaven,  Hanover, 
Holland,  Hong  Kong,  Ionian  Islands,  Lubec,  Malta,  Venetian  States,  VVallachia, 
Wurteniburg,  West  Indies  and  British  Possessions. 

To  the  German  Stales  and  countries  east  and  south  of  them,  by  the  American  line  to 
Bremen,  24  cents  a  single  rate,  with  inland  postage  added,  prepaid  or  not. 

To  the  following  foreign  countries,  by  the  routes  named,  the  entire  postage  must  be 
prepaid.  For  single  letters,  which  must  not  exceed  1-2  oz.  in  weight,  to  Aden,  (Asia,) 
Ceylon,  China,  East  Indies,  New-Grenada,  Philippine  Islands,  and  V^enezuela,  via 
Southampton,  45  cents  ;  Gaudaloupe,  Hayti,  Martinique,  Porto  Rico,  St.  Croix,  St. 
Eustatius,  St.  Martin,  St.  Thomas,  via  Southampton,  55  cents;  Egyjit,  Greece,  and 
Syria,  via  Southampton,  57  cents;  Portugal,  via  Southampton,  63  cents;  Madeira, 
via  Southampton,  H5  cents;  Spain,  via  Southampton,  73  cents ;  Cuba,  via  Southanip- 
ton,  75  cents;  Mauritius,  via  Southampton  and  India,  45  cents;  Australia,  Borneo, 
Bourbon,  Java,  Labuan,  New  South  Wales,  New-Zealand,  Sumatra,  Van  Dieman's 
Land,  via  Southampton  and  India,  53  cents;  the  Azores,  via  Southampton  and  Lis- 
bon, 63  cents;  Canary  Islands,  via  Falmouth,  65  cents;  Buenos  Ayres,  jMontcvideo, 
via  Falmouth,  83  cents;  Brazils,  via  Falmouth,  87  cents;  Heligoland,  via  London, 
33  cents;  Lucea,  Modena,  Parma,  and  Placentia,  via  France,  31  cents;  Australia, 
New  South  Wales,  New-Zealand,  by  private  ship,  37  cents  ;  Cape  de  Verde  Islands, 
65  cents;  Moluccas,  53  cents;  Sierra  Leone,  45  cents ;  and  to  any  British  colony  or 
foreign  country,  when  conveyed  to  or  from  the  United  Kingdom  by  private  ship,  37 
cents.  For  single  letters  which  must  be  less  than  1-4  oz.  in  weight,  to  Aden,  East 
India,  Ceylon,  China,  Hong  Kong,  Mauritius,  and  the  Philippine  Islands,  by  closed 
mail,  via  Marseilles,  total  postage,  (including  British  and  Sea,  Foreign,  and  Americau 
Inland  postage, _)  65  cents;  Australia,  New-Zealand,  Van  Dieman's  Land,  liorneo, 
Bourbon,  Java,  Labuan,  Moluccas,  Sumatra,  or  any  other  place  in  the  Indian  Arclii- 
peligo,  by  closed  mail,  via  Marseilles,  total  postage,  73  cents;  Egypt  ai>d  Syria, 
by  closed  mail,  via  Marseilles,  total  postage,  61  cents;  Egypt,  Syria,  Sicily,  and 
Tunis,  by  French  packet,  via  Marseilles,  total  postage,  51  cents  ;  and  to  Sardinia  and 
Spain,  via  France,  total  postage,  41  cents. 

Newspapers.  To  England,  Ireland,  and  Scotland,  from  any  part  of  the  United 
States,  2  cents  each,  prepaid.  To  those  countries  where  only  the  American  postage  on 
letters  is  to  be  prepaid,  2  cents  each,  prepaid.  To  those  countries  mentioned  above 
where  the  entire  postage  is  to  be  prepaid,  4  cents  each,  prepaid. 

A  deep  interest  has  been  awakened  at  New-York  in  the  cause  of  cheap 
postage.  Not  satisfied  with  the  present  reduction  in  the  rates  of  postage, 
the  merchants  of  New- York  desire  further  postal  reforms.  To  aid  in  ac- 
complishing this  object,  a  society  was  organized,  at  a  meeting  held  at  the 
Merchants'  Exchange,  on  the  26th  of  May,  1848,  under  the  title  of 
"  The  New- York  Cheap  Postage  Association."  The  object  aimed  at 
by  the  association  is,  to  effect  a  postal  reform,  by  which  pre-paid  letters, 
under  half  an  ounce,  shall  be  carried  for  two  cents  to  any  part  of  the 
Union,  allowing  higher  rates  for  letters  not  pre-paid;  with  a  correspond- 
ing reduction  on  newspapers,  and  other  printed  matter,  not  to  exceed  one 


TRADE  AND  COMMERCE. 


75 


Magnetic  Telegraph  Lines. — Commercial  Journals. 


cent  per  sheet  for  any  distance.*  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  Congress  will  soon 
be  convinced  that  the  interests  of  the  community  urgently  demand  the  pro- 
posed reforms 

Magnetic  Telegraph  Lin:es  already  connect  the  most  important  cities 
of  the  Union.  Below  are  given  those  terminating  in  New- York,  with  the 
locations  of  their  offices,  and  the  prices  charged  for  communications. 

MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH  LINES. 


NEW-YORK  &  BOSTON, 
5  Hanover-street. 


DESTINATION. 


Bridgeport 

New-Haven 

Hartford 

Spriu^'field 

Worcester 

Boston 


PRICE. 


10    1     AD. 
WDS   WDS 


2.-) 


50 


SOUTHERN, 
5   Haiiover-slreet. 


DESTINATION. 


New-Brunswick 

Princeton 

Trenton 

Philadelphia 

Wilmington 

Havre-de-grace 

Baltimore 

Washington 


PRICE. 


NEW-YORK  AND  ERlE,ii 

5  Hanover-street.  I 


PRICE. 


NEW-YORK.  ALBANY, 
AND  BUFFALO, 

16  Wall-street. 


DESTINATION. 


10      AD.  I 
WDS  WDS 


10 
15 

20 
25 
35 
45 
50 
50 


Peekskill 

Cold-Si)ring 
iNewhurg 
j  Goshen 

Middletown 
JHonesdale 

Montrose 

Binghaniton 
SOwesro 
jithaca 
jJefTer-son 

Dansville 

Nunda 

Pike 
iFredonia 


10 

WDS 


AD. 
WDS 


20 
20 

20 

25 

25 

25 

35 

2 

40 

2 

40 

2 

40 

2 

40 

2 

45 

3 

45 

3 

45 

3 

50 

1    3 

HOUSE'S  LET.  PRINTING 

8  Wall-street. 

PRICE. 

DESTINATION. 

10    [AD. 
WDS  WDS 

Philadelphia 

25  i     2 

PRICE. 

DESTINATION. 

15 

EV. 

WDS 

AD.5 

Carmel 

27 

10 

Poughkeepsie 
Hudson 

27 
27 

10 
10 

Troy 

Alhany 

37 
37 

15 
15 

Schenectady 
Little-Falls 

37 
37 

15 
15 

Utica 

37 

15 

Rome 

37 

15 

Svracuse 

52 

20 

Auhurn 

52 

20 

Geneva 

52 

20 

Canandaigua 

52 

20 

Rochester 

52 

20 

Batav  ia 

52 

20 

BufTalo 

52 

20 

The  offices  of  the  principal  Commercial  Newspapers  are  in  or  near 
Wall-street.  Thougn  most  of  the  daily  papers  devote  much  room  to 
commercial  intelligence,  yet  a  few  of  them  are  more  exclusively  confined 
to  topics  of  mercantile  interest.  Of  the  morning  papers,  the  "  Journal  of 
Commerce,"  the  "  Courier  and  Enquirer,"  and  the  "  Express  ;"  and  of 
the  evening  papers,  the  "  Commercial  Advertiser,"  and  the  "  Evening 
Post,"  may  be  considered  the  principal  commercial  journals.  But  all  the 
daily  papers,  with  the  locations  of  their  offices,  will  be  given  in  a  subse- 
quent chapter. 


»  Constitution  of  N.  Y.  Cheap  Postage  Assoc. 


CHAPTER   V. 


MORALS  AND  RELIGION. 

Large  cities  never  present  a  pleasing  view  to  the  eye  of  the  moralist. 
Where  multitudes,  of  all  opinions,  characters  and  pursuits,  congregate, 
vice  is  more  open  in  appearance  and  more  successful  in  operation. 
Companions  are  found  to  suit  every  taste,  and  individual  turpitude 
escapes,  in  the  mass,  its  merited  disgrace. 

We  are  not  disposed  to  overlook  the  fact  that  New- York,  in  common 
with  other  large  cities,  furnishes  a  poor  soil  for  the  growth  of  morality. 
The  metropolis  of  this  continent,  it  is  true,  ranks  in  this  respect  far 
above  European  cities  of  equal  size.  But  this  advantage  is  to  be  traced  to 
the  superiority  of  our  national  character,  and  not  to  any  circumstances  or 
principle  peculiar  to  this  city.  Fortuitous  circumstances  may  indeed 
elevate  the  moral  character  of  New- York  above  that  of  some  of  the^ 
smaller  cities  of  the  Union.  But,  in  general,  an  equal  population,  scat- 
tered through  the  towns  and  villages  of  the  country,  is  more  deeply 
stamped  with  conformity  to  the  dictates  of  conscience  and  of  religion. 

It  would  be  folly  to  deny  that  hundreds  of  youth,  flocking  to  New- York 
from  various  sections  of  the  Union,  are  annually  drawn  into  those  whirl 
pools  of  vice  with  which  a  large  city  abounds.  Educated  perhaps  in 
correct  principles,  but  inexperienced  in  the  wiles  of  those  who  trade  in 
vice,  the  new  comer  rushes  into  the  vortex,  and  is  ruined.  The  theater 
presents  its  gorgeous  pageantry;  the  haunts  of  fashionable  intemperance 
exhibit  their  glittering  decorations  ;  the  gaming  table  allures  with  its  en- 
ticing arts;  debauchery  sets  before  him  its  gilded  pleasures;  his  eyes  are 
dazzled,  he  becomes  dizzy,  and  falls.  The  only  safeguard  in  a  populous 
city  is,  a  moral  principle,  too  elevated  to  be  swayed  by  ridicule,  and  too 
deeply  seated  to  allow  the  fust  dereliction.  Such  a  principle  constitutes 
true  independence,  and  is  the  foundation  of  all  nobleness  of  character. 

It  will  be  expected  that,  in  a  work  of  this  kind,  some  mention  will  be 
made  of  the  theaters  ;  but,  as  we  shall  allude  to  them  only  to  condemn 
their  influence,  they  will  find  no  place  beyond  the  limits  of  the  present 


MORALS    AND    RELIGION. 


77 


The  Reformed  Dutch  Church. 


chapter.     Whether  the  legitimate  drama  ought,  or  ought  not  to  be   su3 
tained,  it  is  not  now  our  purpose  to  inquire.     So  long  as  the  theater,  as 
at  present  conducted,  is  a  school  of  vice  ;  so  long  as  the  representations 
that  present  the  most  unnatural  views  of  life,  or  exhibit  its  most  degrad- 
ing scenes,  are  those  that  especially  find  favor  with  the  public  ;  so  long  as 
nearly  every  playhouse  in  the  city  is  the  center  of  a  cluster  of  drinking  or 
gaming  houses ;  so  long  as  the  profession  whose  lives  are  spent  upon  the 
stage,  are  marked,  with  few  exceptions,  by  a  state  of  morals  humiliating 
to  human  nature ;  we  shall  be  satisfied  with  leaving  unnoticed  institutions 
of  this  character,  except  to  denounce  them  as  one  of  the  chief  causes  of 
the  immorality  of  New- York. 

To  those  who  deprecate  the  influence  of  the  theater,  it  may  be  an  evi- 
dence of  improvement  in  the  public  taste,  that,  during  a  period  in  which 
the  population  of  the  city  has  doubled,  and  the  number  of  the  temples  of 
religion  has  more  than  doubled,  the  temples  of  the  drama  have  scarcely 
increased  in  number.  Whether  this  fact  is  to  be  attributed  to  a  greater 
patronage  bestowed  upon  those  already  existing,  or  whether  it  indicate  a 
more  elevated  state  of  public  morals,  we  will  not  undertake  to  say.  We 
will  rather  turn  our  attention  to  those  edifices  of  religious  worship,  that 
so  often  meet  the  eye  of  the  beholder,  as  he  traverses  the  streets  of  New- 
York. 

In  giving  the  locations  of  the  churches,  we  shall  prefix  a  brief  sketch 
of  the  rise  and  progress  of  each  religious  denomination  in  the  city.* 

THE  REFORMED  DUTCH    CHURCH 

Was  the  first  that  made  its  appearance  in  New- York.  The  early  colo- 
nists did  not  forsake  the  principles  they  had  embraced  in  the  father-land. 
In  1626,  a  religious  society  is  supposed  to  have  been  organized,  and,  in 
1633,  a  church  edifice  was  erected  which,  in  1642,  gave  place  to  a  new 
buildingt  in  the  fort,  subsequently  relinquished  to  the  use  of  the  English. 
In  1693,  the  Dutch,  overcoming  the  objection  that  the  location  was  "  too 
far  out  of  town,"  erected  in  Garden-street  another  house  of  worship, 
afterwards  known  as  the  "  South  Dutch  Church."  This,  with  the  "  Middle 
Dutch  Church,"  in  Nassau-street,  erected  in  1729,  and  "  the  North  Dutch 
Church"  on   the  present  corner  of  Fulton  and  William  streets  erected  in 

*  The  materials  for  these  sketches  have  been  drawn  from  the  colonial  histories, 
ecclesiastical  reports,  histories  of  individual  denominations,  Greenleal's  Churches  of 
N.  Y..  Churches  of  N.  Y.  (R.  Carter.  1S3S.)  and  the  communications  of  individuals. 

t  Most  writers  who  have  spoken  of  this  building,  have  called  it  •  the  first  church." 
In  the  case  of  the  critical  :Moulton.  (New-Orange.  25.)  the  error  is  remarkable,  as 
he  quotes,  (p  26.)  an  extract  from  the  Voyages  of  De  Tries  which  implies  the  ex- 
isteiice  of  a  former  church,  and.  in  a  previous  work.  (Hist.  N.  Y.  428.)  he  alludes  to 
the  church  erected  by  Van  Twiller.  Hcnrv  C.  Murphy.  Esq..  in  note  to  the  transla- 
tion of  the  ••  Representation  of  New-Nctherland.-'  (II.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Coll.  li.  328,  329.) 
falls  into  the  same  error  ;  as  also  Giecnloaf,  who  copies,  (p.  9,)  from  Watson  the  ex- 
tract above  alluded  to,  and  all  local  compilers. 


78 


MORALS  AND  RELIGION. 


The  Friends. 


1769,  constituted  the  "  Collegiate  Church."  During  the  war  of  the  Re- 
vohxtion,  the  North  and  Middle  Dutch  Churches  suflered  greatly  from  the 
desecrations  of  the  British  soldiery.  The  latter,  as  already  related,  was 
used  as  a  prison  and  a  riding-school.  With  the  exception  oi  the  church  at 
Harlem,  which  was  founded  before  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
and  the  German  Reformed  Church,  which  had  maintained  a  connection 
with  the  Classis  of  Amsterdam,"*  these  churches  formed  the  only  branch 
of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  in  New-York  until  the  present  century, 
during  which  many  others  have  been  added,  while  changes  have  occurred 
in  the  "  Collegiate  Church."  The  following  are  the  various  Reformed 
Dutch  Churches,  with  their  locations,  and  the  names  of  their  pastors  : 


NAME  OF  CHURCH. 


Collegiate  Ch.  North  Ch., 
Ch.  on  Laf.  Pla., 
Ninth-street  Ch. 
Harlem  Church, 
German  Reform.  Church, 
Greenwich  " 

Blooniingdale  " 

Northwest  " 

South  " 

Market-street  " 

Houston-street  " 
True  Ref.  Dutch  " 
Brooine-strcet  " 

Church  of  Manhattan, 
Twenty-first-st.  Church, 
Ger.  Evang.  Miss.   " 
Ch.  on  Wasliin,<,'ton  Sq. 
Mount  Pleasant        " 
2d  Ger.  Evaa.  Mis.  " 


LOCATION. 


William,  cor.  of  Fulton-street, 
Lafayette  Place,  cor.  of  4tli-sl., 
Oth-st.  bet.  Broadway  &  Bow'y, 
IL'irleni, 

17th-street,  near  Sixth  Aven., 
Bleecker,  cor.  of  Amos-street, 
68th-Ht.  n.  BJoomiuL'dalc  Road, 
Franltlin-st.  near  VVMiroadw'y, 
5th  Avenue,  cor.  of  21st-st., 
Slarket,  cor.  of  Henry-street, 
Houston,  cor.  of  Greene-street, 
King,  near  Macdou?al-street, 
Hruome,  cor.  of  Groone-strcet, 
Avenue  B,  cor.  of  Fifth-street, 
21st-st.    bet   5th  &  Gth  Aven's, 
Houston,  cor.  of  Forsy  th-st., 
Wooster-st.,  cor.  of  Wash.  PI., 
)''iftieth-st.,  near  3d  Avenue, 
,Graud-street  Square, 


DAT 
ORG 


pastor's  name. 


(  Joim  Knox,  D.D. 
1626  •<  Thomas  Do  Witt,  D.D. 

(  Thos.  E.Verniilye,  D.D. 
168G  Jeremiah  Lord. 
IT.^S  John  S.  Ebaugh. 
1803  Nicholas  LMarselus,  D.D. 
1805]  Enoch  Van  A  ken. 
1807|Jas.  B.  Hardenbergh,  D.D. 
1813lJohn  M.  IMacaulcy. 
1819-Isaac  Ferris,  D.D. 
1823  Charles  Whitehead. 
18-23  Samuel  D.  Westervelt.' 
1823  (Jeor^e  H.  Fisher,  D.D. 
18.33  Frederic  F.Cornell. 
1836  Abraham  R.  Van  Nest. 

1836  John  C.  Gnldin. 

1837  Mancius  S.  Hutton,  D.D. 
184GjPhilii>  M.  Brett. 

18481  Frederic  Steiner. 


THE  FRTENDSf 

Commenced  their  meetings  before  the  overthrow  of  the  Dutch  power. 
In  10,57,  several  of  this  persuasion  arrived  from  London,  two  of  whom, 
Mary  Witherhead  and  Dorothy  Waugh,  for  delivering  exhortations  to  the 
people,  were  confined  in  dungeons.  Another,  Robert  Hodshone,  who  went 
to  Long  Island  and  held  a  meeting,  suffered  corporal  punishment,  and 
was  sentenced  to  hard  labor  for  two  years.:):     But  these  persecutions  were 

*  The  German  Reformed  Church  contained  a  Calvinistic  and  a  Lutheran  party,  the 
former  of  which,  liavinj;^  the  ascendency,  had  united  themselves  with  tlic  Reformed 
Dutch  Churches.  The  first  Iniihlinfi;  occui)ied  hy  this  church,  situated  in  Nassau- 
street,  had  been  a  tlioatcr.  hut  was  fitted  up  for  religious  worsliij)  in  1758.  In  182'2.  a 
new  church  was  erected  in  Forsyth-street,  which,  for  the  last  fifteen  years,  has 
several  times  ])assed,  by  legal  process,  from  the  possession  of  tlie  one  party  to  that  of 
the  other  ;  hut  the  question  has  been  jilaccd  beyond  further  !i])peal,  by  the  decision 
of  the  Court  of  I'',rrors.  in  1K16,  in  favor  t)f  tlie  Lutherans.  The  old  building  in  Nas- 
sau-stiect.  was,  for  many  years,  used  as  a  refectory,  well  known  as  ''Gosling's 
Dining  Saloon."  but  during  the  past  year  lias  given  place  to  two  large  and  well- 
built  stores. 

t  For  several  facts  relative  to  the  Friends,  wc  arc  indebted  to  William  Wood,  Esq.,  a 
leading  member  of  the  society. 

J  Bcsse's  Suflerings  of  the  Quakers.     Scwcl's  History  of  the  Quakers, 


MORALS  AND  RELIGION. 


79 


The  Jews. 


not  greater  than  the  Quakers  generally  received  in  all  the  provinces,  and 
which  ceased  only  after  an  asylum  had  been  provided  for  them  by  the 
settlement  of  Pennsylvania.*  The  first  meeting  house,  in  Little  Green- 
street,  is  supposed  to  have  been  erected  at  about  the  close  of  the  seven- 
teenth century.  The  congregation  that  worshiped  here  was  the  only  so- 
ciety of  Friends  in  New- York  until  1819,  when  another  house  of  worship 
was  erected  in  Hester-street.  Two  other  meetings  have  since  been 
opened. 


NAME  OF  CHURCH. 


Rose-Street  Meeting, 
Hejrtei-street        " 
Orcliard-strect      " 
Downiiig-street    " 


LOCATION. 


Rose,  near  Pearl-street. 
Hester,  cor.  of  Elizahetij-st., 
27  Orchard,  near  Hester-st., 


DAT 
ORG 

ir.96 
1819 

18-28 


PASTOR  S  NAME. 


The  Friends  have  no 
Ministers. 


jDowniug,  near  Bleecker-street[1832| 
THE    JEWS.f 

First  appeared  in  New-Amsterdam  about  the  year  1660.  After  the  sur- 
render of  the  city  to  the  English,  they  by  no  means  enjoyed  free  toleration. 
An  application  to  the  public  authorities,  in  16S5,  for  permission  to  establish 
public  worship,  was  unsuccessful ;  and,  even  as  late  as  1737,  the  rights 
of  citizenship  were  denied  them. J  About  the  commencernent  of  the  last 
century,  however,  they  succeeded  in  organizing  a  congregation,  and  soon 
after  erected  a  small  synagogue  in  Mill-street,  now  South  William-street. 
A  single  building  supplied  their  religious  wants  for  more  than  a  century, 
when,  about  the  year  1824,  a  second  congregation  was  formed.  From 
this  time  their  numbers  rapidly  increased.  There  are  now  ten  synagogues 
in  the  city,  as  given  below  :$ 


NAME  OF  CHURCH. 


Shearith  Israel,  ||  {Remnant  of  Israel,) 
Bene  Jeshurun,  {Sojis  of  Jeslnirun,) 
Ansho  ilesed,  (Men  of  Picli/,) 
Shaare  Shemayim,  (Gates  of  Heaven,) 
Shaaro  Zedek.  (Gates  of  Rifrhteovsnss) 
Rodeplie  Shalom,  (Followers  aft. Peace) 

Immanucl,  (  God  with  us,) 

Reth  Israel,  (The  House  of  Israel,) 
Shaare  Tiiephilla,  (Gates  of  Prayer,) 
Bene  Israel,  (The  Sons  of  Israel,) 


LOCATION. 

5G  Crosby,  n.  Spring  st., 
119  Elm,  near  Canal-st., 
38  Henry,  n.  Catharine, 
122  Attorney,  n.  Riving. 
White,  cor.  Center-st , 
15G  Attorney,  n. Stanton 

56  Chrystie,  n.  Walker, 

46  Center,  n.  Pearl-st., 
112  Wooster,  n.  Prince, 
454  Pearl,  n.  Chatham, 


DAT 
ORG 


pastor's  name. 


nOfijJ.  .1.  Lyons. 
IB24IA.  Leo. 
1832'Jona«  Hecht. 
1839  M.  Danziger. 
1839  Sol.  Samelson. 
1842JL.  Heilner. 
!io^,i'  (  l---  Mersbacher. 
I^^^^li  CM.  Cohen. 
11 844] J.  Salinger. 
1847JSamnel  M.  Isaacs. 
ll847|Sinion  C  Noot. 


*   Gough's  History  of  the  Quakers. 

t  For  information  respecting  the  Jews  we  are  under  obli?ations  to  M.  M.  Noah,  Esq.; 
Rev.  S.  M.  Isaacs,  and  Rev.  J.  J.  Lyons.  The  records  of  the  Jews  are  scanty:  but 
those  ffentlemcn  have  aided  us  in  ascertaining  and  verifying  dates  not  easy  to  be 
obtained. 

t  Smith's  Hi.«t.  of  N.  Y. 

§  E.vclusive  of  the  synagogues,  the  Jews  support  various  benevolent  institutions 
and  ."-cholastic  establishments  for  every  branch  of  Hebrew  learnin?. 

II  For  the  orthography  of  thnse  Hei>rew  titles,  in  which  the  analogy  of  the  common 
English  version  of  the  Bible  has  been  followed,  as  well  as  for  their  significations,  we 
are  indebted  to  Prof.  J.  W.  Gibbs,  of  Yale  College. 


go  MORALS  AND  RELIGION. 

The  Lutheran  Church. — The  Episcopal  Church. 
THE    LUTHERAN    CHURCH 

Is  likewise  of  early  origin.  Some  of  the  first  inhabitants  were  doubtless 
Lutherans.  We  have  authentic  accounts  of  their  assembling  for  j^ublic 
worship  about  the  time  of  the  surrender  of  the  city  to  the  English,  but 
the  statements  as  to  the  existence  of  a  church  edifice  previous  to  the 
beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  are  contradictory.  The  public  senti- 
ment was  against  them.  One  of  the  early  ministers,  on  the  ground  of 
disturbing  the  peace  by  inculcating  his  peculiar  sentiments,  was  repri- 
manded, and  afterwards  forbidden  to  preach  in  the  province.  About 
the  same  time,  the  Dutch  sexton  at  Albany,  fearful  of  transgressing  the 
bounds  of  his  authority,  applied  to  the  governor  and  council  for  per- 
mission to  bury  "  Lutherans  and  all."  The  first  church  edifice  of  which 
we  have  certain  knowledge,  stood  on  the  corner  of  Rector-street  and 
Broadway.  It  was  destroyed  in  the  fire  of  1776,  and  afterwards  be- 
came the  site  of  "  Grace  Church."  Some  years  before  the  Revolution,  a 
second  Lutheran  Church  was  erected  in  Cliff-street,  but  the  congregation 
in  a  short  time  removed  to  a  nev,'  building,  on  the  present  corner  of  Frank- 
fort and  William  streets,  which  afterwards  received  the  name  of  the 
S  wamp  Church."*  During  the  war,  the  Hessian  soldiers  used  this 
building  as  a  place  of  worship,  and  their  beautiful  singing,  in  their 
native  tongue,  often  drew  to  the  spot  crowds  of  spectators.  At  the  close 
of  the  war,  the  two  churches  were  united.  Three  other  churches  have 
since  arisen,  so  that,  with  the  German  Reformed  Church,  to  which  allu- 
sion has  been  previously  made,  there  are  now  six  Lutheran  Churches  in 
the  city,  as  seen  in  the  following  schedule : 


NAME  OF  CHURCH. 


St.  Blatthevv'.s  Churcli, 
Iiiilep.  fierman  Refoin.  " 
St.  Jamns'jj  Church, 
E  vaiig.  Lutherau  " 
Old  L  utherau  " 
St.  Marcus's       " 


LOCATION. 


Walkcr-st.,  c.  Corllauflt  Alley 

•21  Forsyth,  near  VValker-st., 

Mulhcrry,  near  Grand-street, 

Sixth  Avciine,  cor.  of  l.'jth-st., 

1"27  Columbia,  near  llouston-st. 

Sixth-st..  bet.  1st  &  2d  Avens,U847  A.  H.  M.  Held. 


DAT 
ORG 


pastor's  name. 


]7.-)l  Charles  F.  E.  Stohlinann. 
17;")!^  F.  r.usche. 
1821  Charles  IMartin. 
18-12  F.  W.  Goissenhainer. 
1842  Theodore  Hohni. 


THE    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH 

Received  its  existence  under  legislative  patronage.  After  the  surrender 
of  the  city  to  the  English  in  1064,  the  Dutch  Church  in  the  fort  was 
named  "the  King's  Chapel."  In  1691,  it  gave  place  to  a  new  building, 
which  continued  to  bear  the  same  name,  until  it  was  destroyed  by  fire,  at 
the  time  of  "  the  negro  plot."  In  1G96,  a  new  edifice,  afterwards  called 
*•  Trinity  Church,"  giving  birth  to  the  celebrated  corporation  of  that  name, 

♦  Now  used  as  "  Bell's  Auction  Room." 


MORALS  AND  RELIGION. 


81 


The  Episcopal  Church. 


now  possessed  of  real  estate  of  immense  value  in  the  city,  was  erected  at 
the  head  of  Wall-street,  "  upon  the  banks  of  Hudson's  river."*  St 
George's  Chapel,  erected  in  1752,  and  St.  Paul's  Chapel,  erected  in  1766, 
"were  both  branches  of  Trinity  Church.  The  great  fire  of  1776  destroyed 
the  parent  church,  but  it  was  rebuilt  in  17SS,  again  to  give  place  to  a 
third  edifice,  the  present  magnificent  and  costly  structure,  completed  in 
1846.  The  society  of  St.  George's  Chapel  became  a  distinct  charge  in 
1811.  St.  John's  Chapel,  erected  in  1507,  became  a  branch  of  the  col- 
legiate church. f 

Trinity  Church  remained  the  only  Episcopal  society  in  New-York  until 
nearly  the  close  of  the  last  century,  but  a  religious  congregation  had  arisen, 
under  peculiar  circumstances,  which  was  destined  to  become  afterwards 
a  branch  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  The  revocation  of  the  edict  of  Nantes, 
which  had  granted  toleration  to  the  Huguenots  in  France,  led  to  their  dis- 
persion. A  large  number  sought  an  asylum  in  the  new  world,  and  settled 
in  New- York  and  the  neighboring  villages.  A  church  was  erected  in 
Pine-street  in  1704  ;  and  many  of  the  poor  members,  who,  after  the  toil 
of  the  week,  were  obliged  to  walk  twenty  miles  to  attend  divine  worship, 
wrote  to  their  friends  in  France  of  the  *'  great  privileges  they  enjoyed." 
In  1804,  the  pastor  and  people,  with  joint  consent,  became  connected 
with  the  Episcopal  Church,  and,  in  1834,  removed  to  a  new  marble 
edifice,  on  the  corner  of  Franklin  and  Church  streets. 

The  other  Episcopal  Churches  are  of  such  recent  origin,  that  we  shall 
merely  include  them  in  the  following  enumeration  : 


NAME  OF  CHURCH. 


01,  U 

2i.  u 


Trinity  Church, 
St.  Paul's  Chopc 
St.  Joiin's  Chape 

L'Ejrlise  du  St.  Esjirit, 
St.  George's  Church,  ) 

<«  l(  4(  } 

Christ  Church, 
St.  Mark's  Church, 
St.  Stephen's  Church, 
St.  Michael's 
Grace  " 

St.  Philip's  (cord)" 
St.  James's  " 

Zion  " 

St.  Luke's  " 

St.  Mary's  " 

St.  Thomas's  " 

All  Saints'  " 

Church  of  the  Ascension, 


LOCATION. 


Broadway,  cor.  of  Rector-st. 
Hroadway,  oor.  of,Fulton-st. 
Varick,  near  Beach-street, 

Franklin,  cor.  of  Church-st., 
Bookman,  cor.  of  Cliff-street, 
Stuyvesant  Square,  E.  ICth-st., 
Anthony-st.,  near  Broadway, 
Stuyvesant-.st.,  near  2d  Aven., 
Christie,  cor.  of  Broome-street, 
Bloominjrdale, 

Broadway,  cor.  of  Tenth-street 
85  Center,  near  Leonard-street 
Hamilton  Square,  b.  Av.  3  &  4, 
Mott,  corner  of  Cross-street, 
Hudson,  near  Christopher-st., 
Manhattanville, 
Broadway,  cor.  of  Ilouston-st., 
Henry,  cor.  of  Scammel-street,! 
Fifth  Avenue,  cor.  of  Tenthst.l 


DAT 

ORG 


1697 
176() 

1807 

1704 
17.V2 
1846 
1794 
1799 
I80.T 
1807 
1809 
1809 
1810 
1810 
18-20 
18-23 
18-23 
18-24 
18'i7 


pastor's  nane. 


rWilliam  Berrian,  D.D., 
I  J.  31.  Wainwrigrht,  D.D., 
)  Edward  Y.Hi^bee.DD., 
[  Martin  P.  Parks. 
Antoiue  Verren. 

j  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  D.D., 

Charles  H.  Halsey. 

Henry  Anthon,  D.D. 

Joseph  H.  Price,  D.D. 
jWilliam  Richmond. 

Thomas  H.  Taylor,  D.D. 

Vacant. 

Edwin  Harwood. 

Richard  Cox. 
|John  M.  Forbes,  D.D. 
jWilliam  Richmond. 

Hen.  J.  Whitehouse,  DD. 

William  E.  Eigenbrodt. 

Gregory  T.  Bedell. 


Smith. 


t  Berrian's  Hist.  Sketch  of  Trinity  Church. 
4* 


82 


MORALS  AND  RELIGION. 


The  Presbyterian  Church. 


NAME   OF  CHURCH. 


St.  Andrew's  Church, 
St.  Clement's  " 

St.  Peter's  " 

Ch.  of  the  H.  Evangelists, 
"     "     "  Ei)iphaiiy, 
"     "     "  Nativity, 
St.  Bartholomew's  Ch., 
Calvary  Churcli, 
Ch.  of  tlie  Annunciation, 
St.  Mattliew's  Church, 
Ch.  of  the  Redemption, 
St.  Judc's  Church, 
Cliurch  of  Our  Saviour, 
L"Ei?iise  <iu  St.  Sauveiir. 
St.  Simon's  (G.  Mis.)  Ch. 
Emmanuel  Cliurch, 
Ch.  of  St.  Geo.  the  Mart., 
"     "  the  Holy  Apostles, 
•'     "     "  H.  Communion 
"     "     "  Me.«siah,  (col.) 
"     "     "  G.  Shepherd, 
"     "     "  Crucifixion, 
"     "     "  Advent, 
St. Barnabas's  Church, 
Cli.  of  the  n.  Comforter, 
"     "     "  Holy  Martyrs, 
St.  Cornelius'sChurch, 
St.  John  Baptist's  Ch., 


LOCATION*. 


DAT 
ORG 


Harlem, 

1 10  Amity,  near  Macdougralst., 
^20th->treet,  near  9th  Avenue, 
15  Vaiidewaler-street, 
130  Stunton,  near  Norfolk-st., 
Avenue  C,  near  Sixth-street, 
Lafayette  P.,  c.  Great  Jones-st., 
4tli  .A.venue,  cor.  of "^Ist-street, 
14th-strect,  bet.  Gtli  &  7th  Av.,} 
Christopher,  near  Bleecker-st., 
Eleventli-st.,  near  3d  .\venue, 
35  Sixth  Avenue,  op.  Amityst., 
Foot  of  Pike-street,  (floating) 
'.)S  Diiane,  near  Elm-street, 
148  Houston,  near  Willelt-st., 
Thomi)son,  cor.  of  Prince-st., 
410  Broadway,  near  Canal-st., 
Ninth  .\v.  cor.  of  West  23111-81., 
'i'wenticth-st.,  cor.  of  Gth  Av., 
()39  Broadway,  n.  Bleecker-st., 
31arket,  cor.  of  Monroe-street, 
Ei?hth-st.,  near  4th  Avenue, 
8th  Aven.,  bet.  41st  &  42d  st's., 
•27th-st.,    (recently  burnt,) 
Foot  of  Dey-st.,  (for  Seamen) 
(irand,  cor.  of  Ludlow-street, 
Governor's  Island, 
Lexington  Av.  cor.  of  35th-st.,l 


pastor's  name. 


18-29  lii chard  M.  Abercrombie 
18301  Caleb  S.  Henry,  D.D. 
1831  Vacant. 
1831 ! Benjamin  Evans. 
1833' Lot  Jones. 
1834  Caleb  Clapp. 
18.34|LewisP.  W.Balch. 
I835lSamucl  L.  Southard. 
183G|Samuel  Seahury,  D.D. 

1842  Jesse  Pound. 

1843  I-aac  Pardee. 

1843  Richard  C.  Shimeall. 

1844  Benjamin  C.  C.  Parker. 
1844  Charles  H.  Williamson. 
1845,'Thomas  Cook. 

1845j  Alexander  S.  Leonard. 
1845;  Moses  3Iarcus. 
1845|  Robert  S.  Howland. 
1845:  U'ni.  A.  Muhlenberg. 
18461  Alexander  Crummei. 
184G,  Ralph  Hovt. 
1846'jolin  F.  Scliroeder,  D.D 
184C|Al)ram  B.  Hart. 
1846!Hirain  JelKT. 
1847;Daniel  V.  31.  Johnson. 
18471James  Millett. 
1848  John  McVickar,  D.D. 
l848iCoruelius  R.  Duffie. 


THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

Is  the  next  in  the  order  of  age.  As  early  as  1706,  a  few  Presbyterians 
were  in  the  practice  of  meeting  together  in  private  houses.  In  1707,  the 
Rev.  Francis  McKemie  was  imprisoned  by  Lord  Cornbury,  the  governor, 
for  preaching  contrary  to  his  orders,  but  afterwards  released  on  bail.  At 
his  trial,  he  was  acquitted,  but  the  costs  of  prosecution,  amounting  to 
nearly  three  hundred  dollars,  were  most  unjustly  extorted  from  him.*  This 
opposition  did  not  arrest  the  progress  of  the  infant  church.  In  1710,  a 
regular  organization  was  effected,  and,  in  1719,  a  place  of  worship  M'as 
erected  in  Wall-street.  When  Whitefield  visited  New-York  in  1740,  the 
Presbyterians  were  the  only  denomination  that  received  him  into  their 
pulpit,  but  their  liberality  was  repaid  by  numerous  accessions  attendant 
upon  his  powerful  preach  incr.  A  difierence  of  0])inion  with  regard  to 
sul)Stituting  the  use  of  AVatts's,  for  that  of  Rouse's  Psalms  and  Hymns,  led 
to  the  sece.«sion,  in  1756,  of  a  part  of  the  congregation,  afterwards  termed 
the  Scotch  Presbyterian  Church,  who  at  first  occupied  a  building  of  their 
own  erection  in  Cedar-street,  but,  in  1836,  located  themselves  in  their 
present  splendid  marble  structure,  at  the  corner  of  Ornnd  and  Crosl)y 
streets.  The  increasing  nunibers  of  the  Wall-street  congregation,  caused 
the  organization  of  a  branch,  and  the  erection  of  a  second  church  edifice* 


♦"  Makemic's  Tryal,"  Force,  Vol.  4.     Miller's  Life  of  Rogors. 


MORALS  AND  RELIGION. 


83 


The  Presbyterian  Church. 


completed  in  1768.  This  was  situated  in  Beekman-street,  in  "  the  fields,'* 
and  was  familiarly  denominated  "  the  brick  meeting."  During  the  war, 
both  of  the  churches  were  entirely  despoiled  of  their  interior  work  and 
used  for  military  purposes.  In  1798,  the  society  erected  a  third  church  on 
a  piece  of  ground,  at  the  corner  of  Rutgers  and  Henry  streets,  presented 
by  Col.  Henry  Rutgers.  The  three  churches  continued  their  connection 
until  1509,  when  each  became  a  distinct  charge. 

Our  purpose  being,  to  trace  briefly  the  rise  and  progress  of  each  deno- 
mination, and  not  to  detail  the  annals  of  its  churches,  we  shall  not  weary 
the  reader  by  entering  into  the  history  of  the  other  numerous  branches 
that  have  marked  the  successful  establishment  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  New- York,  but  shall  merely  include  them  in  the  following  hst : 


NAME  OF  CHUKCH. 


LOCATION. 


First  Churcli, 
Scotch     " 
Brick       " 

First  Associate  Church, 
First  Reformed       " 
Rut^ers-street        *•* 
Pearl-street  " 

Duaiie-street  " 

Canal-street  " 

Seventh  " 

Allen-street  " 

Central  " 

First  Colored  " 

Bleecker-street  " 
S])riu<^-street  " 

Carmine-street  " 
Second  Reformed  " 
Second  Associate  " 
Sixth-street  " 

Fourth  Asso.  Ref.  '' 
Houston-street  " 
Sullivan-st.  Ref.  " 
Welsh  " 

Brainerd  " 

Twentieth-street  " 
Mfrcer-street  " 

Fifth  Assoc.  Ref.  « 
Tenth  " 

Third  Associate  " 
Eleventh  ' 

Chelsea  " 

SlantOD-street  ' 
Harlem  " 

Fifteeuth-street  '• 
Bloomin^dale  " 

Church  on  University  PI. 
Yorkville  Church. 
Forty-second-st.  •' 
Thirteenth-street  " 
F^mmanuel  (col'd)  " 
Fourth  Asociate  " 
North  " 

Madison  Avenue  " 
Waverley  PI.  Ref.  " 


DAT 
loKG 


pastor's  name. 


5th  Avenue.cor.  of  12th-street,  1716  William  VV.  Phillips,  D.D. 
(Jrand,  cor.  of  Crosby-street,    1 175G  Joseph  McElroy,  D.D. 
Beekman,  cor.  of  Nassau-st.,      1768, Gardiner  SprinV,  D.D. 
(irand,  cor.  of  Mercer-street,    Il785  Andrew  Stark,  D.D. 
Twelfth-street,  near  6th  Av.,  |1797  John  N.McLeod,  D.D. 
Rutgers,  cor.  of  Henry-street,    1798  John  M.  Krebs,  D.D. 
540  Pearl,  near  Elm-street,        1 1804| Vacant. 
Duane,  cor.  of  Church-street,  |1808  James  W.  Alexander, D.D. 
82  Canal,  near  Greene-street,    1809, Huph  S.  Carpenter. 
Broome,  corner  of  Ridge-st.,     :1818  Edwin  F.  Hatfield. 
61  Allen,  near  Grand-street,      [1819  Vacant. 
408  Broome,  near  Elm-street,     1821 1 William  Adams,  D.D. 
Marion,  corner  of  Prince-st.,     |l822j  James  VV.  C.  Pennington. 
Bleecker-st.,  near  Broadway,   ]1825  Erskine  Mason.  D.D. 
220  Spring,  near  Macdougal-st^  1825  Alfred  E.  Campbell. 
Carmine,  near  Hudson-street,   1829  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  Jr. 
Eleventh-street,  near  7th  Av.,    1830  Andrew  Stevenson. 


Houston,  corner  of  Forsyth-st. 
Sixth-street,  near  Second  Av., 
Franklin-st..  n.  W.  Broadway, 
Houston,  cor.  of  Tliompson-st., 
101  Sullivau,  near  Spring-st., 
395  Broome-street, 
91  Rivington,  nearLudlow-st., 
Twentieth-st.,  near  7th  Aven., 
Mercerst.,  near  Waverley  PI., 
Jane-street,  near  Abingdon  Sq., 
Third  Avenue,  cor.  of22d-st, 
41  Charles,  near  Fourth-street, 
.Avenue  C,  cor.  of  Fourtii-st., 


18.30  Vacant. 

1831  Vacant. 

1831 1  William  McLaren. 

1832|R.  S.  Storrs  Dickinson. 

1833  James  Chrystie. 
183.3iVacant. 

1834  Asa  D.Smith. 

1834  James  I.  Ostrom. 

1835  Joseph  C.  Stiles. 
1837| Alexander  H.Wright. 
1837'jamns  Knox. 

1838  Hu?h  H.  Blair. 

1839  Mason  Noble. 
1842  Edward  D.  Smith. 


22d-street,  near  9th  Avenue, 
Stanton,  cor.  of  Forsyth-street,'1843  John  Lillie. 
127th-street,  near  3d  Avenue,   11844  Ezra  FI.  Gillett. 
ISth-street,  near  Irving  Place,  11844' Wm.  D.  Snodgrass,  D.D. 
51st-streel,  near  8th  Avenue,     J1845  Vacant. 
University  Place,  cor.  10tli-st.,'1845  George  Potts,  D.D. 
87th-street,  b.  .3d  &  4th  Aven,,  1846  Joshua  Butts. 
42d-street,  cor.  of  8th  Avenue,  1846  John  C.  Lowrie. 
13lh-street,  bet.  6th  &  7th  Av.,  1846  Samuel  D.  Burchard. 
Cottage  P., Hancock.  n.Bleeck. '1846  Henry  M.  Wilson. 
24tli-street,  near  9th  Avenue,    il846  Alexander  Clements. 
32d-street,  near  8lh  Avenue,    |l847  Washington  Roosevelt. 
Madison  Avenue,  cor.  29th-st ,  |1846  William  Bannard. 
■Waverley  Place,  n.  Grove-st.,il848  John  Little. 


84 


MORALS   AND  RELIGION. 


The  Moravian  Church. — The  Baptist  Church. 


THE    MORAVIAN    CHURCH,    OR  THE    SOCIETY    OF    UNITED    BRETHREN, 

Has  existed  in  New- York  since  the  year  1748.  Count  Zinzendorf,  the 
founder  of  the  society,  had  passed  a  few  days  in  the  city  in  1741,  but  the 
church  was  not  regularly  organized  until  the  visit  of  Bishop  Johannes  de 
Waterelle  in  1748.  In  1751,  the  society  erected  a  building  in  Fair,  now 
Fulton-street,  which  remained  until  1829,  when  it  was  taken  down  and 
rebuilt.     In  1843,  they  removed  to  their  present  location. 


NAME  OF  CHURCH. 


United  Brethren,. 


LOCATION. 


Houston,  corner  of  Mott-street, 


DAT 
ORG 


pastor's  name. 


1748, David  Bigler. 


THE    BAPTIST    CHURCH, 

As  at  present  known,  is  not  identical  with  the  society  first  distinguished 
by  that  title  in  this  city.  The  early  Baptists  resembled  the  present  only  in 
the  mode  of  baptism.  They  are  stated  to  have  been  professed  Arminians.* 
In  1724,  a  church  of  this  persuasion  was  established,  but  the  society  in 
eight  years  had  ceased  to  exist. 

The  first  church  of  the  present  Baptist  sentiments  was  organized  in 
1762,  a  house  of  worship  having  been  two  years  previously  erected  in 
Gold-street.  During  the  war,  the  Baptists  were  not  exempted  from  the 
privations  and  indignities  common  to  most  of  the  religious  communities.! 
The  members  were  scattered,  and  their  church  edifice  converted  into  a 
stable.  The  restoration  of  peace  revived  the  church.  Their  building  was 
repaired,  but,  in  1801,  it  was  found  necessary  to  rebuild.  The  second 
edifice,  on  the  same  site,  was  occupied  until  1841,  when  the  society 
erected  the  splendid  Gothic  structure,  at  the  corner  of  Broome  and  Eliza- 
beth streets.  The  churches  that  have  arisen  since  the  Revolution,  will  be 
found  in  the  following  table  : 


name  of  church. 


First  Church, 
Oliver-street  Church, 
Priniitivft  Clir'iiss'  Cong. 
Abyssinian  (col'd.)  Cli., 
North  Beriali  " 

South  " 

Stantoii-strect  " 

Ehenezer  " 

North  «' 

Laurens-strcet  " 

Zion  (colored)  " 

Amity-street  " 

Welsh  " 

Sixteenth  «' 

Church  of  the  Disciples, 
Bcrean  Church, 


LOCATION. 


Broome,  cor.  of  Elizabeth-st., 
Oliver,  cor.  of  Ilnnry-street, 
6'{9  Broadway,  n.  Bleecker-st., 
44  Anthony,  n.  \V.  Broadway, 
Macdouifal,  near  Spring-street, 
4dO  Broadway,  near  (Jrand-st, 
Stanton,  near  Forsytli-strcet, 
19  Avenue  A,  b.  1st  &  2d  sts., 
Bc.lford,  c.  of  Christopher-st. 
138  Laurens,  near  Prince-st., 
488  Pearl,  (rear)  op.  C.  Hall  P., 
Amity,  cor.  of  VVoostcr-street, 
141  Clirystie,  near  Dclancy-st., 
Si,\teoiith-st.,ncarHtli  Avenue, 
80  Creeue,  (rear)  n.  Sprin<r-st., 
Downing,  cor.  of  Bedford-st.,   | 


DAT 

ORG 

1762 
1791 

180.1 
1809 
1809 
182-2 
1823 
182.'> 
1827 
1828 
18.32 
1832, 
18,33 
1833J 
183.5 
ItiJS' 


pastor's  name. 


Spencer  H.  Cone,  D.D. 
Klisha  Tucker. 
Thomas  Hogg. 
J.  T.  Raymond. 
Dunaan  Dunbar. 
Charles  G.  Sommers. 
S.  Uoniington. 
TiConard  (i.  INIarsh. 
A.  C.  Wheat. 
Luke  Barker,  M.D. 
.lohn  R.  Biirelow. 
Wm.  R.  Williams,  D.D. 
Thomas  Owen. 
.1.  W.  Tairgart. 
K.  Parmly  and  others. 
John  Dowling,  D.D. 


Parkinson  Jubilee  Sermon. 


t  Benedict's  History  of  the  Baptists. 


MORALS  AND  RELIGION. 


85 


The  Methodist  Church. 


NAME  OF  CHURCH. 


LOCATION. 


Cannon-Street  ChurccJi, 
Tabernacle  " 

Bctlies-da  " 

Norfolk-street        " 
Liiifrht-strcct  " 

Blooniingdalc  " 

First  Mariners'      " 
6th-st.,  (Iate4th-st.,)  Ch. 
Twelfth-street  Church, 
Mount  Zion  " 

Harlem  " 

Providence  " 

Seventh  Day  " 

Hope  Chapel, 
First  German  Church, 
Shiloh  " 

Union  •' 

Olive  Branch  " 

Rose  Hill 


DAT 
ORG 


pastor's  name. 


Cannon,  near  Broome-street, 
Mulberry,  near  Cliatham-st., 
Houston-st.,  bet.  1st  &  2d  Avs. 
Norfolk,  cor,  of  Broome-street, 
Laight.  cor.  of  Varick-strcet, 
43d-strcet,  cor.  of  Eijrhth  Av., 
Cherry,  near  Pike-street, 
Sixth-street,  near  Avenue  C, 
Twelfth-street,  near  Third  Av. 
175  Wooster,  n.  Bleecker-st., 
Harlem, 

Hudson,  cor.  of  Grove-street, 
llth-strect,  bet.  3d  &  4th  Avs., 
718  &  720  Broadway,  n.4th-st., 1 1846 
Stanton,  cor.  of  E.-^-sex-street,  i]84fi 
29th-street,  cor.  of  H(li  Avcn.,  |1847 
18tii-slrcct.  near  Fourth  Ave.,!l847 
328  Cherry,  near  Clinton-st.,  1 184!) 
40th-st.,  b.  Lexington  &.  3d  A  vs.!  1849 


18.38  Vacant. 
]839;Edward  Lathrop. 
I84l;Charles  J.Hopkins. 
184llThomas  Armitage. 
1842iW.  W.  Everts. 


1843 
1843 
1843 
1843 
1843 
1844 
1845 
1845 


V'acant. 

Ira  K.  Steward. 
John  T.  Seeley. 
Sidney  A.  Corey. 
James  C.  Goble. 
J.  Pettcs. 
Vacant. 

'i'homas  B.  Brown. 
David  Bellamy. 
John  Eschman. 
Levi  Parnil}'. 
Orrin  B.  Judd. 
William  S.  Clapp. 
Smith  S.  Wheeler. 


THE    METHODIST    CHURCH 

In  New- York,  is  the  parent  of  all  the  other  branches  of  the  denomina- 
tion in  the  country.  In  1766,  Mr.  Philip  Embury,  a  zealous  preacher, 
with  a  few  Irish  Methodists,  arrived  in  the  city,  and  commenced  preach- 
ing in  a  private  house.  The  number  of  his  auditors  increased.  On  one 
occasion,  when  the  congregation  was  assembled  for  public  worship,  the 
door  suddenly  opened,  and  a  British  officer,  dressed  in  uniform,  appeared. 
The  members  were  astonished  and  alarmed  at  his  presence,  but  their  sur- 
prise w^as  greatly  increased,  when,  instead  of  interrupting  the  exercises,  he 
/ell  upon  his  knees,  and  united  in  their  devotions.  This  was  Captain 
Webb,  the  barrack-master  of  the  royal  troops  stationed  at  Albany,  who, 
hearing  of  this  feeble  church,  had  visited  New- York  to  aid  them,  and  who 
henceforth  became  one  of  their  preachers.  Their  place  of  worship  soon 
proved  too  contracted  for  the  audience,  and  a  rigging  loft*  in  Horse-and- 
cart-streetf  was  procured  and  fitted  up  for  religious  exercises,  where  Mr. 
Embury  officiated  from  a  pulpit  made  with  his  own  hands.  He  was  aided 
by  Captain  Webb,  who  was  accustomed  to  ascend  the  pulpit  and  preach 
in  full  regimentals.  The  novelty  of  the  circumstances,  and  of  Captain 
Webb's  appearance,  could  not  fail  to  draw  crowded  auditories,  and  it  soon 
became  necessary  to  provide  a  church  edifice.  The  ground  on  Golden-hill, 
now  John-street,  where  this  building  was  erected  in  1768,  is  now  the  loca- 
tion of  the  third  house  of  worship  erected  on  the  same  site,  and  by  the 
same  society.  The  known  loyalty  of  Mr.  Wesley  saved  the  Methodists, 
in   a  great  measure,  from  those  annoyances  to  which  the  other  religious 

*  This  building  is  still  standings  on  William  street,  (No.  120.)  between  Fulton  and 
John  streets,  and  is,  with  perhaps  one  excc))tion,  the  only  relic  of  the  old  Dutch 
architecture  of  Nev^'-York.  It  is  occupied  by  Doty  &  Berg^en.  copper-plate  printers.  &.c. 

t  The  upper  part  of  William,  above  John-street,  received  this  name  from  the  siga 
of  a  hotel  representing  a  horse  and  cart. 


86 


MORALS  AND  RELIGION. 


The  Roman  Catholic  Church. 


societies  were  subjected  during  the  war  of  the  Revohition.  A  new  con- 
gregation appeared  in  1790,  and  another  in  1797.  The  Methodist  church 
being  now  firmly  established,  its  branches  rapidly  increased  in  number. 
Below  is  appended  a  list  of  the  various  churches  of  this  denomination  in 
the  city : 


NAME  OF  CHURCH. 


John-Street  Church, 
Forsyth-street    " 
Duane-street      " 
Seveiitli-street    " 
"Zion  (colored)  *' 
Allen-street         " 
Bedford-street    " 
*Asl)ury  (col'd)  " 
Willett-street     '• 
*Methodist  Society, 
*Betiiel  (colored)  Church. 
*First  Mefh.  Prot.  " 

*Second  Meth.  Prot.       " 
*African  Union  (col'd) 
*VVHlsh  Methodist  Church, 
Eighteenth-street  '• 

*B'chAfrican  Union  (col'd) 
Greene-street  Church, 
Second-street  " 

Yorkville  " 

Vestry-street  " 

Mulberry-street  " 
Twciity-seventh-st.  " 
Harlem  •' 

Forty-firf^t-street       " 
*Liltle  Zion  (colored)  " 
•German  Evangelical  " 
*  First  Wesley  an  " 

Thirtieth-street  " 

German  Mission  " 

Ashury  '* 

Siiliivan-street  " 

Madison-street  ' 

*S(!coi)d  Wesleyan  " 
*r.itlle  /ion  (colored)  " 
*B'ch  of  Bethel  (col'd)  " 
IVIariners'  " 

Floating  Bethel 
Jane-btreet  " 

IVintli-street  " 

Fiftieth-street  " 

Germau  Home  Mission  " 


LOCATION. 


John,  near  Nassau-street, 
12  Forsyth,  near  Division-st., 
180Duane,near  Green wich-st., 
Seventh-st.,  near  2d  Avenue, 
Church,  cor.  Leonard-street, 

128  Allen,  near  Rivington-st., 
Bedford,  cor.  of  Morton-street, 
118  Ridge,  (rear)  n.  Houston, 
Willctt,  near  Grand-street, 

42  First-st.,  near  2d  Avenue, 
227Second-st.,  near  Avenue  B, 
CI  Attorney,  near  Delancy-st., 
IT.')  Wooster,  n.  Bieecker-st., 
15th-st.,  bet.  0th  &  7lh  Avs., 
57  &  59  Chrystie-street,  (rear,) 
18th-street,  near  8tli  Avenue, 
Yorkville,  bet.  Gth  &,  7t!i  Avs., 
61  Greene,  near  Broome-st., 
276  Second-street,  near  Av.  C, 
8Cth-streef,bet.3d  &  4th  Avs., 
Vestry,  near  Greeiiwich-st, 
Mulberr}',  near  Bleecker-st., 
27th-strect,  near  2d  Avenue, 
125th-st.,  near  4th  Avenue, 
41st-street,  near  8th  Avenue. 
22d-st.,  bet.  0th  &  7th  Avs., 
104  W.  Ifith-street,  n.  6th  Av., 
103  King,  near  Hu(lson-street, 
30ih-st.,  bet.  8th  &.  9th  Avs., 
Second-st.,  bet.  Avs.  B  &  C, 

129  Norfolk,  near  Slanton-st., 
214  Sullivan,  n.  Bleecker-st., 
3Iadison,  cor.  of  Catharine-st., 
78  Allen,  near  Grand-street, 
Harlem. 

Harlem. 

Cheirj',  near  Clinton-street. 

Foot  of  Rector-street. 

Jane-street,  near  8tli  Avenue, 

Avenue  B,  cor.  of  Ninth-st., 

Fiftieth-st.,  near  3d  Avenue, 

Bloomingdale, 


DAT 
ORG 


pastor's  name. 

1766  Valentine  Buck. 
1700  John  W.  B.  Wood. 
1797  O.  V.  Animerman. 

1800  Bartholomew  Creagh. 

1801  Peter  Rose. 
1810  S.  S.  Strong. 
1810  S.  Van  Dcusen. 
1813  Bonjan)in  Myers. 

1819  John  G.Smith. 

1820  William  M.  Stilwell. 
1820  Richard  Robertson. 
1826  .loseph  .I.Smith. 
1820  James  Covell,  3I.D. 
1820  Isaac  Barney. 

1828  VVlliiam  Rowlands. 

1829  Abiadiar  M.  Osborn. 

1830  William  Matthews. 

1831  Daniel  Smith. 

1832  Parmerle  Chamberlain, 

1832  B.  Sillick. 

1833  Davis  W.Clark. 
18.34  Edwin  E.  Griswold. 
18:M  John  B.  Stratten. 
1836  R.  C.  Putney. 

1840  Thomas   IJaiiibridge. 

1840  Supplied  by  Zion. 

1841  D    Berj<!ar. 

1841  Dennis  Harris. 

1842  Erastus  O.  Haven. 
1942  C.  H.  Doering. 

1842  Julius  Field. 

1843  W.  H.  Ferris. 
1843  John  Crawford. 
1843  Lucius  C.  Matlack. 
1843  Supplied  by  Zion. 

1843  Vacant. 

1844  J.  H.  Perry. 

1845  Oliff  G.  Hedstrora. 
1845  Davis  Stocking. 

1845  Morris  D.  C.Crawford. 
1845! J.  W.  Macomber. 
1846lWillium  Schwartz. 


THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCHf 

Was  not  tolerated  in  New- York  until  after  the  overthrow  of  the  British 
power  by  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  For  many  years  during  the  colonial 
government,  a  law  existed  that  every  Catholic  priest  that  came  voluntarily 


*  Not  Methodist  Episcopal. 

t  For  several  facts  conTiocted  nith  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Clmrch.  the  author  is  indebted  lo  Rev.  J.  R.  Boylcy,  of  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral,  sccie- 
tary  to  Bi.shop  Hughes. 


I 


MORALS  AND  RELIGION. 


87 


The  Catholic  Church. 


into  the  province,  should  be  hanged.*  The  prejudice  of  the  people  had 
been  excited  against  them  by  the  efforts  of  the  Jesuit  missionaries  to 
subject  the  Indians  to  French  influence. f  The  histories  of  the  times,  how- 
ever, record  the  execution  of  but  one  Catholic  priest,  and  the  charges  which 
led  to  his  conviction  were  not  made  under  this  law.f  The  prevalence 
of  liberal  principles,  and  the  consequent  spirit  of  universal  toleration, 
that  succeeded  the  Revolution,  did  not  escape  the  notice  of  the  Roman 
Catholics,  in  its  favorable  influence  upon  the  establishment  and  pro- 
pagation of  their  religious  tenets  in  the  city  of  New- York.  In  1783,  a 
congregation  was  formed,  which,  after  occupying  a  temporary  place  of 
worship,  erected,  in  1786,  the  edifice  known  as  St.  Peter's  Church,  on 
the  corner  of  Baiclay  and  Church  streets  §  The  Roman  Catholics  then 
numbered  about  300. ||  In  180S,  New-York  was  erected  into  an  episcopal 
see  by  Pope  Pius  VII.  The  number  of  worshipers  increased. H  A  second 
church  became  necessary;  and,  in  1815,  St,  Patrick's  Cathedral,  the 
present  seat  of  the  episcopate  of  the  diocese,  was  erected.  The  churches 
that  have  followed,  will  be  found  in  the  subjoined  table  :** 


NAME  OF  CHURCH. 


St.  Peter's  Church, 

St.  Patrick's  Catliedral, 

St.  Mary's  Church, 

St.  Joseph's        " 

St.  .Tamr.s's  " 

St.  Paul's  " 

St.  Nicholas's  tGcr.)  Ch., 

Ch.of  the  Transfiguration, 

St.  Andrew's  Church, 

S.  John  Baptist's  (Gpt.)  C, 
Church  of  the  Nativity, 
St.  Joiiii  K\  aiiijelisl's  Ch., 
8t.  Vincent  de  Paul's  " 


LOCATION. 


Barclay,  corner  of 
Church-street, 

Mott,  cor.  of  Prince- 
street, 


Grand,  cor.  of  Ridge- 
street. 
Sixth  Avenue,  corner 

of  Barrow-street, 
:i2  Janies-streot, 
1 19-st.,  near  4th  Av., 
2d-st.,  n.  Avenue  A, 

45  Chambers-st.,  near 

Broadway. 
Duane-st.,c.C'yH.P., 

30th-st..  n.Bth  Aven.J 
2(1  Av.,  b.2d<fc3d-Ms., 
oili  Aven.  c.  SOth-st.^ 
2G  Canal,  n.  Elni-st.,J 


DAT 
ORG 

1783 
1815 

182G 

1833 

1835 
18.35 
1835 

1836 

1840 

1840 
1841 
1842 
18431 


PASTOR  S  NAME 


Charles  C.Pise,  D.D.  and  Thomas 
Martin,  O.S.D. 

Rt.  Rev.  John  Hughes,  D.D.,  John 
Louirhtin,  J.  W.  Cumniings,  D. 
D.,  John  Conroy,  Valentin  Bur- 
gos, and  J.  R.  Bayley,  sec.  to  Bp. 

William  Starr,  James  McMahoii, 
and  Doniinick  J.  Tcixchoira. 

Michael  McCarron,  Win.  Quinn, 
and  Jerome  Nobriga. 

Pat'k  McKcnna  and  John  Curoe. 

John  Walsh. 

Ambrose  Buckmeyer  and  Felicien 
Krebers. 

V.Rev.  Felix  Varella,  D.D.,  Wm. 
McClnllan  and  Louis  Senez. 

John  Maginnis  and  Louis  Jerzy- 
korich. 

Joseph  A.  Lutz. 

Geo.  McCloskey<fe  Joh.Shanahan. 

Michael  Curran,  Jr. 

Annet  Lafont  and  Anth.  Cauvin. 


*   Smith's  Hist,  of  New-York.  t  Ibid     Burke's  European  Settlements. 

J  Jolin  Ury,  who  was  accu.«ed.  in  1741.  of  being  concerned  in  '•  the  negro  plot." 
—Horsmanden.  §  Rebuilt  in  1836-8.  ||  Laity's  Directory. 

U  In  1810.  the  number  of  Roman  Catholics  in  the  diocese,  which,  at  that  time,  in- 
cluded the  whole  State  of  New-York  and  part  of  New  Jersey,  was  computed  at  17.000. 
Bishop  Dubois,  in  a  letter  written  to  '-the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith, 
at  Lyons,  in  1830.  estimates  the  number  at  35,000.  The  present  number  in  the  city  is 
froni  75.000  to  100,000. 

**  In  addition  to  tlio  public  places  of  worship,  there  are  schools,  convents,  a  monas- 
tery, and  several  benevolent  institutions  connected  with  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 
Tlw'orpluin  ;isylum  in  Prince-stieet.  contains  about  300  children,  and  the  half  orphan 
asylum,  corner  of  Klcventh-strect  and  the  Seventh  Avenue,  120  female  children. 
A  large  asylum  has  likewise  been  commenced  in  Fiftieth-street. 


88 


MORALS  AND  RELIGION. 


The  Uiiiversalist  Church. — The  Congrogational  Church. 


NAME  OF  CHURCH. 


St.  Francis's  (Germ.)  Ch., 

Church  of  the  Most  Holy 

Redeemer,  (German,) 

St.  Coluniba's  Cliiirch, 
Church  of  the  Holy  Name 

of  Je.sus, 
Chap,  of  the  Sacred  Heart, 
S-Ali)lionsiis's(Gor.)Ch., 
Chapel  ofMt.  St.  Vincent, 
St.  Brigdet  Virgin's  Ch'h, 


LOCATION. 


31st-st.,  n.  7th  Aven., 
153  Third-street, 


2.jth-st.,  n.  8th  Aven., 
Elizabeth,  n.  Walker, 

Manhattanviile, 
10  Tiiompson-strcet, 
Rlooniinj,'dale, 
8tli-st.,  cor.  Aven.  B., 


DAT 
ORG 


1844 
1844 


181.5 
1846 


pastor's  name. 


Alexander  Martin. 

Gabriel  Runipler,  Henry  Tappert, 

John  He.spelion,  W.  Cnbin,  Jac. 

Na^el  and  Robert  Kleincidani. 
M.  31cAleer  and  J.  Curanisky. 
John  Larkin,  S.J. 


1846  Anthony  Galdacano. 

1847  .^erved  by  ("h.  M.  H.  Redeemer 
l847Thomas  Farrell. 
1848iRichard  Kcin. 


THB    UNIVERSALIST    CHURCH 

First  made  its  appearan.ce  in  New- York  in  1796  ;  but  the  oldest  church 
of  this  persuasion  now  existing,  was  formed  in  1830,  since  which  time 
three  others  have  been  added,  as  will  appear  from  the  following  enumera- 
tion : 


name  of  church. 


Second  Church, 
Third  " 

Fourth       " 
Fifth  " 


location. 


85  Orchard,  near  Broome  St., 
208  Bleecker,  cor.  Downin<r-st., 
JIurray,  cor.  of  Church-street^ 
J'^ourth-strcet,  bet.  Avs  B&C 


oat. 

ORG 


pastor's  name. 


18,30  Cyrus  H.  Fav. 
l832|VVillim  S.  Balch. 
t837j  Edwin  H.Ciiapin. 
1840i  Isaac  D.  Williamson. 


THE    CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH 

Next  claims  our  attention.  From  180^  to  1817,  three  Congregational 
societies  were  established,  but  they  have  all  either  ceased  to  exist,  or 
adopted  the  Presbyterian  form  of  government.  In  1819,  the  Providence 
Chapel,  the  oldest  of  the  present  churches,  commenced  its  existence.  With 
the  exception  of  the  "  First  free  Congregational  church,"  formed  in  1836, 
no  other  permanent  branch  of  this  denomination  appeared  before  1840. 
At  the  latter  date,  the  Presbyterian  church  that  had  occupied  the  building 
known  as  the"  Broadway  Tabernacle,"  was  dissolved,  and  a  portion  of  the 
members  formed  a  church  after  the  Congregational  form.  The  house  of 
worship  was  purchased  by  David  Hale,  Esq.,  for  $'34,250,  who,  with 
remarkable  liberality,  made  an  arrangement  with  the  new  society,  by 
which  he  secured  to  them  the  present  possession  and  the  ultimate  owner- 
ship of  the  building.  The  Congregational  churches  of  more  recent  origin, 
are  given  below : 


NAME  OF  church. 

Providence  Chapel, 
Clirystie-street  Church, 
'i'abernaclo  " 

Free  " 

Fourth  " 

MLssion  (colored)  " 
Clinrch  of  the  Puritans, 
Fasfcrii  Church, 
Jlaminond-strcet  Church, 


location. 


I  DAT 
ORO 


4  1  Thompson,  n.  Broomc-st., 
Chry.'-lii',  near  Dcl.-incy-.-t., 
310  ISroadway,  n.  A  ntiioiiy-sf., 
151  .'^iiliivan  near  llonston-sr., 
\V.  ICth-st.,  b.  6th  A  7lli  AvN., 
160  Grand,  c.  Cent.  Mark.  PI., 
Broadway,  cor.  of  inHi-slrcet. 
Madison,  cor.  (lonveinrur-st., 
Hamniond,  cor.  of  Factory-st , 


pastor's  name. 


18in|Joseph  Harrison. 

1836  Henry  T.  Cheever. 

1840  Joseph  P.  Thompson. 

1842S::.niuel  D.  Cockran. 

1.-43  IJ   O.  Schermerhorn. 

1845  Charles  I?.  Ray. 

1F46  (Jeoru^e  B.  Chocver,  D.D 

1848  A    H.  (^rocker. 

1848  VVilliam  Patton,  D.D 


MORALS  AND  RELIGION. 


89 


New  Jer,  Ch'h.— Unitarian  Ch'h.— Port  Soc— Christian  Ch'h.— Second  Adv.  Ch'h. 


THE    NEW    JERUSALEM    CHURCH, 

As  those  who  embrace  the  doctrines  of  Swedenborg  are  termed,  has  two 
branches  in  New- York.  The  first  was  established  in  1808,  and  the  second 
in  1841. 


NAME  OF  CHURCH. 


LOCATION. 


First  New  Jer.  Church,    [Roadway,  cor.  of  Leonarrt-st., 
Second  "     "  "  IWooster-st.,  c.Waverlcy-Pl., 


DAT 
ORG 

1808 


PASTOR  3  NAME. 


Georfre  Bush. 


1841  Thomas  Wilks. 
THE    UNITARIAN    CHURCH 

Has  existed  in  New- York  for  about  thirty  years.  In  1819,  a  society  was 
formed  which  erected  a  church  in  Chambers-street,  and  whicli  became  so 
flourishing  as  to  admit  of  dismissing  a  colony  in  1826.  Both  congregations 
now  occupy  commodious  houses  of  worship  on  Broadway. 


NAME  OF  CHURCH. 

Ch.  of  the  niviiie  Unity, 
«'     "     "   Messiah, 


LOCATION. 


DAT 
ORG 


pastor's  NAME. 


fAH  r.roadway,  nearSprinjr-sl.,   1819  Ilcnry  W.  Bellows. 
7'28Broadway,op.WaverIey  P.  ;1826.Sannicl  Osgood. 


THE    SOCIETY    FOR    THE    PROMOTION    OF    THE    GOSPEL    AMONG  SEAMEN    IN  THE 

PORT  OF    NEW-YORK 

Have  under  their  superintendence  a  church,  conducted  on  evangelical 
principles,  but  divested  of  a  denominational  character.  This  association 
was  formed  June  5th,  1818,  and,  in  the  succeeding  year,  an  edifice  was 
commenced  in  Roosevelt-street,  which  was  opened,  under  the  name  of  the 
"Mariner's  Church,"  on  the  4th  of  June,  1820.*  A  large  and  increasing 
congregation    of   seamen   and   others,  assembles  here  each  sabbath. 


NAME  OF  CHURCH. 


The  Mariner's  Church, 


LOCATION. 


DAT 
ORG 


PASTOR'S  NAME. 


18201  Henry  Chase. 


73  Roosevelt,  near  Oak-street, 
THE    CHRISTIAN    CHURCH, 

A  name  adopted  by  a  society  who  hold  to  peculiar  doctrines,  was  estab- 
lished in  New- York  in  1829.  The  first  church  became  extinct  in  1841, 
but  a  new  society  was  immediately  formed  by  a  portion  of  its  members, 
which,  in  1844,  erected  a  house  of  worship  in  Suffolk-street. 


NAME  op  CHURCH. 


LOCATION. 


DATi 
ORG 


PASTOR  S  NAME. 


1841l01iver  Barr. 


Suffolk-street  Ch'n  Ch.,  J  Suffolk,  near  Delancy-street, 

THE  SECOND  ADVENT  CHURCH 

Has  been  represented  in  New- York  at  different  times  by  various  branches. 
The  only  society  of  this  description  now  in  the  city,  was  formed  in  1845. 


NAME  OF  CHURCH. 

LOCATION. 

DAT 
ORG 

1845 

pastor's  name. 

Mount  Zion  Church, 

67  Crosby,  near  Spring-st., 

S.  S.  Snow. 

♦  Rep.  of  Com.  of  Soc.  for  the  Promotion  of  the  Gospel,  &c. 


90 


MORALS  AND  RELIGION. 


Gorman  Ciilliolic  Church. — French  Reformed  Cliurch. — Green-Wood  Cemetery, 


THE    FREE    GERMAN    CATHOLIC    CHURCH 

Is  the  name  of  a  church,  under  the  care  of  the  American  Protestant 
Society,  formed  in  1846  of  members  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  who 
had  been  converted  to  Protesantism.    It  is  not  denominational  in  character 


name  of  church. 


LOCATION. 


Free  Gar.  Catholic  Ch.,    Allen,  near  Houston-street, 


DAT 
ORG 

184C 


pastor's  name. 


Joseph  E.  Freygang,  D.D. 


THE    FRENCH    REFORMED     CHURCH 

Is  likewise  free  from  sectarianism.  It  was  organized  in  1S4S,  through  the 
exertions  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Baird,  and  is  connected  with  the  Foreign  Evan- 
gelical Society. 


NAME  OF  CHURCH. 

location. 

DAT 
ORG 

pastor's  name. 

French  Reformed  Ch., 

Spruce,  corner  of  Nassau-st., 

18481  J.  F.  Astie. 

The  aggregate  number  of  churches  in  New-York  is  two  hundred  and 
fifty-two. 

The  grounds  attached  to  many  of  the  principal  church  edifices  were 
formerly  used  as  burial-places,  but  the  prohibition  of  interments  in  the 
thickly  settled  portions  of  the  city,  has  led  to  the  establishment  of  large  and 
highly  embellished  rural  cemeteries  in  the  vicinity,  o^  these,  we  shall 
notice   the  principal. 

The  Green-Wood  Cemetery  was  incorporated  April  IS,  1S38,  with 
a  capital  of  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  in  shares  of  one  hundred 
dollars  each,*  The  grounds  of  the  cemetery,  two  hundred  and  forty-two 
acres,  are  situated  on  the  bights  of  Gowanus,  in  Brooklyn,  about  three  and 
one-fourtli  miles  from  New- York.  A  j^lace  better  adapted  by  nature  for 
the  purposes  of  sepulture,  could  not  have  been  found.  Within  sight  of 
the  marts  of  commerce,  it  is  perieclly  secluded  from  the  noisy  world 
From  difierent  points,  fine  views  of  the  bay  and  harbor,  with  the  ocean 
in  the  distance,  are  brought  before  the  eye  of  the  visitor.  Nearly  three 
thousand  lots  have  been  already  sold,  and  more  than  five  thousand  inter- 
ments have  taken  place.  The  price  of  lots,  including  the  expense  of 
grading,  is  $110  each,  or,  where  more  than  three,  located  together,  are  pur- 
chased at  the  same  time,  ^90  each.f  Those  who  desire  to  visit  the  ceme- 
tery, are  required  to  present  tickets,  which  can  be  procured  by  all  proper 
persons,  without  charge,  at  the  ofiice.  No.  39  Wall-street. 


*  Charter  of  Green -Wood  Cemetery. 
Rules  and  regulatioas  of  Green-Wood  Cemetery. 


Ml 


MORALS   AND  RELIGION.  91 

Trinity  Church  Cemetery. — Rockland  Cemetery. — Cemetery  of  Cypress  Hills. 

Trinity  Church  Cemetery  is  beautifully  situated  on  the  Hudson 
River.  It  occupies  the  entire  area  between  153d  and  155th  streets,  ex- 
tending from  the  Tenth  Avenue  to  the  river.  The  grounds  are  high,  and 
laid  out  with  much  beauty  and  taste.  The  prices  of  lots,  fifteen  feet 
square,  vary  from  $60  to  $90  each.  The  office  is  at  the  vestry  building  of 
Trinity  Churdi,  corner  of  Church  and  Fulton  streets. 

The  Rockland  Cemetery  was  commenced  in  1847.  The  grounds, 
consisting  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  lie  upon  the  Klaasland  Hills, 
at  Piermont,  near  the  Erie  Railroad,  about  twenty-four  miles  from  New- 
York.  The  varied  scenery  of  the  Hudson,  combines  with  the  adaption  of 
the  grounds  to  the  purposes  for  which  they  have  been  selected,  to  rende'^ 
them  a  desirable  burial-place.  The  price  of  lots,  16  by  25  feet,  is  $25 
each.     The  ofiice  is  at  No.  170  Broadway,  corner  of  Maiden  Lane. 

The  Cemetery  of  the  Cypress  Hills  was  laid  out  and  regulated 
in  the  year  184S.  It  is  located  near  the  Long  Island  Railroad,  beyond 
Booklyn,  about  six  miles  from  New- York.  As  the  name  indicates,  the 
grounds,  embracing  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  are  undulating, 
presenting,  from  many  points,  extensive  and  magnificent  views.  The 
prices  of  lots,  generally  16  feet  by  25,  vary  from  $35  to  $50  each,  accord- 
ing to  position  ;  but  to  religious,  charitable,  and  other  associations,  who 
purchase  not  less  than  ten  lots  together,  of  a  medium  value,  the  price  is 
put  at  30  dollars  each.  The  rooms  of  this  cemetery  are  at  No.  2G2 
Broadway. 

We  have  endeavored  to  sketch  the  state  of  morality  in  New- York,  and 
to  trace  the  development  and  progress  of  its  religious  character.  The 
more  controlling  becomes  the  power  of  conecience  as  an  incentive  to  hu- 
man action,  the  more  ready  arc  mankind  to  respond  to  the  cry  of  distress. 
How  far  is  this  principle  exemplified  in  the  practice  of  our  ciUzens? 
Their  actions  will  return  the  answer 


CHAPTER  VI. 


BENEVOLENCE. 

New-York  is  distinguished  for  its  liberality  to  benevolent  institutions. 
While  credulity  is  often  imposed  upon  by  the  narrative  of  pretended 
woe,  to  the  great  detriment  of  worthy  sufferers,  the  citizens  of  New 
York  have  provided  institutions  where  all,  however  afflicted  by  penury 
or  sickness,  who  are  fit  objects  of  charity,  can  find  that  relief  which  the 
bounty  of  the  liberal  affords. 

We  have  already  alluded  to  the  systems  of  benevolence  connected  with 
the  various  departments  of  the  municipal  government,  as  well  as  some 
of  a  denominational  character.  In  addition  to  the  other  incorporated 
and  associate  institutions  of  the  city,  New-York  contains  the  ofiices  of 
most  of  the  religiovis  and  benevolent  societies  of  the  country,  and  is  the 
center  of  their  operations.  We  can  do  no  more  than  notice  a  few  of  the 
more  prominent  of  these  institutions. 

The  New-York  Hospital  vi'-as  established  in  the  year  1771.  On  the 
17th  of  June  of  that  year,  certain  officers  and  inhabitants  of  the  city, 
were  incorporated  by  a  charter,  received  from  the  Earl  of  Dunmore,  then 
Governor  of  the  province,  under  the  title  of  "  the  Society  of  the  Hospital 
in  the  city  of  New-York  in  America,"  and  twenty-six  governors  ap- 
pointed for  the  management  of  its  affairs.  In  consequence  of  legislative 
and  private  assistance,  the  Society  were  enabled,  in  1773,  to  commence 
the  erection  of  a  suitable  edifice,  but  on  the  2Sth  of  February,  1775, 
when  it  was  nearly  completed,  the  building  was  accidentally  destroyed 
by  fire.  In  less  than  a  month,  the  Society  received  further  contributions 
from  the  Legislature,  and  were  enabled  to  commence  rebuilding  the 
edifice,  but  again  their  expectations  were  to  be  disaj)pointed.  Tlie  war 
of  the  Revolution  had  broken  out,  and  they  were  destined  to  feel  its  full 
effects.  The  city  was  in  the  possession  of  the  British  forces;  and,  in 
the  universal  appropriation  of  the  public  buildings  to  their  use,  the  hos- 
pital formed  no  exception.  It  was  occupied  as  barracks  for  the  British 
and  Hessian  soldiers,  and,  by  its  occasional  use  as  a  hospital,  the  object 
for  which  it  was  erected  did  not  seem  to  be  entirely  forgotten.     Still  fur- 


BENEVOLENCE.  93 


Bloomingdale  Asylum  for  the  Insane. 


ther  legislative  aid  enabled  the  Society  to  open  the  house  on  the  3d  of 
January,  1791,  for  tlte  reception  of  patients.  From  that  time  to  the 
present,  it  has  continued  to  enjoy  the  bounty  of  the  State,  and  to  enlarge 
its  sphere  of  usefulness.  It  has  added  to  the  number  of  its  buildings,  and 
introduced  improvements  in  the  original  edifice.  In  1796,  the  governors, 
acting  on  the  recommendation  of  the  jVIedical  Faculty  of  Columbia  Col- 
lege, appropriated  five  hundred  dollars  to  the  establishment  of  a  medical 
library,  which,  by  means  of  subsequent  additions,  has  increased  to  more 
than  five  thousand  volumes.  In  1810,  the  name  of  the  Corporation  was 
changed  to  that  of  "  The  Society  of  the  New-York  Hospital," 

The  grounds  of  this  institution  constitute  most  of  the  block  bounded 
by  Broadway,  Anthony,  Church,  andDuane  streets.  With  the  exception 
of  the  line  on  Broadway,  which  is  partially  owned  by  private  indivi- 
duals and  appropriated  to  dwellings  and  stores,  this  area  is  surrounded 
by  a  high  brick  wall.  An  avenue  of  90  feet  in  width,  adorned  with 
towering  elms,  leads  from  Broadway,  and  presents  an  imposing  view  of 
the  principal  edifice.  The  site  of  the  hospital  buildings  is  higher  than 
the  surrounding  grounds,  and  one  of  the  healthiest  locations  in  the  city. 

The  services  of  the  governors,  and  of  the  physicians  and  surgeons,  who 
are  selected  from  the  most  eminent  of  the  profession,  are  gratuitous. 
Every  applicant  for  admission  must  procure  a  recommendation  from  one 
of  the  governors,  physicians,  or  surgeons  of  the  institution,  as  to  the 
propriety  of  his  admission,  except  in  cases  of  sudden  accidents,  when 
they  are  received  temporarily  by  the  Superintendent  without  such  re- 
commendation. 

The  Bloomingdale  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  located  on  the  Bloom  in^- 
dale  Koad,  seven  miles  from  the  City  Hall,  is  a  branch  of  the  New-York 
Hospital.     The  principal  edifice  was  commenced  in  1818,  completed  in 

1820,  and  opened  for  the  reception  of  patients  in  the    month  of  June, 

1821,  About  forty  acres  of  land  are  annexed  to  the  Asylum,  a  portion 
of  which  is  highly  improved.  In  addition  to  beautiful  walks  and  gar- 
dens, the  place  is  embellished  with  a  collection  of  plants  that  formerly 
belonged  to  the  botanic  garden  of  Columbia  College,  and  which  the 
Trustees  of  that  institution  presented  to  the  governors  of  the  Hospital. 

This  Asylum  has  received  the  benefit  of  the  experience  of  the  most 
noted  institutions  of  the  kind  in  this  country  and  Europe.  In  1S31,  Dr. 
James  McDonald,  who  had  previously  been  the  resident  physician  of  the 
institution,  and  who  had  obtained  the  necessary  information  relative  to 
the  insane  asylums  of  this  country,  was  commissioned  by  the  governors 
of  the  Hospital  to  cross  the  Atlantic,  for  the  purpose  of  examining  simi- 
lar institutions  in  Europe.     His  mission  was  successful.     He  returned. 


94  BENEVOLENCE. 


Institution  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb. 


after  an  absence  of  fifteen  months,  and,  by  a  connection  with  tlie  Asy- 
lum for  several  years,  as  its  principal,  communicated  to  it,  not  only 
the  results  of  his  investigations,  but  the  benefits  of  his  experience. 

The  Hospital  and  Asylum  are  institutions  highly  necessary  in  a  largo 
city.  Without  them,  New- York  could  not  maintain  the  reputation  she 
jiow  possesses,  of  providing  for  her  needy  children.  Without  them,  the 
numerous  objects  of  human  misery  could  never  find  relief. 

The  Nkw-York  Institution  for  the  Instruction  of  the  Deaf  and 
DirjiB,  is  situated  on  Fiftieth-street,  near  the  Fourth  Avenue,  at  a  dis- 
tance of  somewhat  more  than  three  and  a  half  miles  from  the  City  Hall. 
The  grounds  occupied  by  the  Institution  extend  from  the  Fourth  to  the 
Fifth  Avenue,  and  from  Forty-eighth  to  Fiftieth-street.  One  acre  is  the 
property  of  the  Institution,  and  the  remainder,  nine  acres,  is  leased 
from  the  Common  Council,  at  a  nominal  rent,  the  whole  being  enclosed 
with  a  neat  and  substantial  fence.  A  portion  of  the  ground  is  under 
cultivation,  and  the  rest  is  laid  out  in  walks,  and  a  spacious  lawn  in 
which  the  pupils  take  daily  exercise. 

The  Institution  was  incorporated  by  the  Legislature  of  this  State, 
April  15,  1817.  The  school,  however,  was  not  opened  till  May  of  the 
following  year.  For  several  years  the  school  was  kept  in  the  old  Alms- 
house, so  called,  in  the  Park,  the  boarding  pupils  living  with  their 
teachers,  in  hired  houses  in  the  city.  The  foundation  of  the  present 
main  building  was  laid  in  October,  1827,  the  site  having  been  given  by 
the  Corporation  of  the  city.  The  building  then  erected,  and  occupied 
for  the  first  time  in  April,  1S29,  was  one  hundred  and  ten  by  sixty  feet, 
and  four  stories  high,  including  the  basement.  It  cost  thirty-one  thou- 
sand dollars.  It  became  necessary,  however,  in  1834,  to  enlarge  this 
building,  and  a  fifth  story  was  added.  In  1S33,  two  wings,  about  thirty 
feet  square,  were  erected  on  the  line  of  Fiftieth-street,  and  at  right  angles 
to  the  main  building,  and  of  the  same  hight,  giving  to  the  building  an 
eastern  and  western  front  of  ninety  feet  each,  including  the  wings.  In 
1846,  two  new  and  commodious  wings,  eighty-five  by  thirty  feet  each, 
with  connecting  wings  twenty  by  twenty-three  feet,  were  erected,  pro- 
viding spacious  sitting  rooms  for  the  pupils  of  both  sexes,  and  furnish- 
ing additional  dormitories  and  rooms  for  other  necessary  puri:)oses. 
Tnus  enlarged  to  more  than  double  the  capacity  of  the  original  edifice, 
the  buildings  present  a  front  of  two  hundred  and  ten  feet  on  Fiftieth- 
s'.reet,  the  extreme  depth  of  the  wings  being  ninety  feet.  They  are  of 
brick  and  stuccoed,  appearing  at  a  distance  like  white  marble. 

The  management  of  the  Institution  is  intrusted  to  the  Board  of  Di- 


BENEVOLENCE.  95 


Institution  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb. 


rectors,  twenty-five  in  number,  elected  annually  by  the  Society.  Tliv 
President,  Harvey  P.  Peet,  M.  A.,  wlio  has  been  connected  with  the  In- 
stitution since  1831,  has  the  general  directi  on  and  control  of  its  concerns, 
with  the  counsel  and  advice  of  the  Executive  Committee.  Associated 
witli  him,  in  the  intellectual  department,  are  eleven  Professors  and 
Teachers.  In  the  Domestic  department  are  a  Physician,  Steward,  Ma- 
tron and  Assistant,  and,  in  the  Mechanical  department,  a  Book-binder, 
Cabinet-maker,  Tailor,  Shoemaker  and  Gardener. 

Five  hours  each  day  are  devoted  to  school  exercises,  independent  of 
the  evening  studies,  and  between  three  and  four  hours  to  the  various 
trades.  The  daily  exercises  of  the  school  are  opened  and  closed  with 
prayer;  and  religious  services  are  held  on  the  Sabbath,  conducted  by  the 
President  and  Professors  in  rotation. 

At  the  date  of  the  last  Annual  Report  (the  Twenty-ninth),  there  were 
two  hundred  and  twenty-five  pupils  under  instruction,  supported  as  fol- 
lows : — one  hundred  and  sixty-one  by  the  State  of  New- York,  eight  by 
the  State  of  New- Jersey,  sixteen  by  the  City  of  New- York,  twenty-one 
by  their  friends,  and  nineteen  by  the  Institution. 

The  mode  of  education,  adopted  in  this  institution,  is  the  same  as 
that  which  has  been  pursued  hitherto  by  all  similar  institutions  in  this 
country,  and  is  believed  to  be,  for  general  use,  decidedly  superior  to  any 
other  as  yet  devised.  Its  distinguishing  peculiarity  consists  in  the  use  of 
a  sign -language  based  upon  the  natural  signs  which  every  infant  uses, 
and  which  every  uneducated  deaf  mute  necessarily  irrvents  as  the  only 
possible  way  for  him  to  indicate  to  others  the  operations  of  his  own 
mind.  The  sign-language  which  is  used  by  the  teacher,  embraces  not 
only  these  natural  elementary  signs,  but  such  modifications  and  increases 
of  these  elements,  and  such  additional  arbitrary  signs  as  are  adapted  to 
the  expansion  of  the  mind  and  wider  range  of  subjects  presented  in  the 
course  of  instruction.  Such  of  the  pupils,  of  whom  there  are  a  few,  as 
are  deemed  capable  of  receiving  benefit  from  the  exercise  of  their  organs 
of  speech  and  practice  in  labial  reading,  are  provided  with  the  means  of 
regular  instruction  in  these  branches. 

It  is  the  design  of  the  Institution  to  educate  the  whole  man — to  de- 
velope  and  cultivate  the  powers  of  the  body,  mind,  and  heart.  And  it 
has  been  eminently  successful.  More  than  six  hundred  individuals, 
some  of  them  most  unpromising  specimens  of  humanity,  have  partici- 
pated in  its  advantages,  and  gone  forth,  with  scarcely  an  exception 
qualified,  in  a  good  degree,  to  discharge  the  various  duties  of  social  life; 
capable  of  self-support,  industrious,  honest,  happy,  respected,  and  not 
a  few  animated  by  the  hopes  of  a  future  life  where  physical  infirmity 
shall  be  unknown. 


96  BENEVOLENCE. 


Institution  for  the  Blind. 


The  Institution  is  an  architectural  ornament  to  the  city.  But  it  is  far 
more  worthy  of  consideration  for  the  good  which  it  is  accomplishing, 
and  as  a  monument  of  the  philanthrophy  of  its  founders  and  successive 
patrons.  The  State  has  nobly  responded  to  the  silent  appeals  of  her 
afflicted  sons,  and  the  City  has  cheerfully  provided  for  her  own,  while 
private  munificence  has  been  equally  prompt  to  render  occasional  aid. 
May  the  dumb  never  plead  in  vain,  and  may  the  success  which  has  at- 
tended the  Institution  in  its  rapid  progress  and  present  advancement,  be 
but  the  precursor  and  the  pledge  of  still  greater  and  increasing  prosperity 
and  usefulness. 

The  New-YcIi-iv  institution  for  the  Blind  was  incorporated  April 
17,  1831.  It  owes  its  origin  mainly  to  the  efforts  of  Samuel  Wood,  a 
well  known  member  of  the  society  of  Friends,  and  of  Dr.  Samuel  Akerly, 
distinguished  for  his  zeal  and  labors  in  behalf  of  the  Institution  for  the 
Deaf  and  Dumb. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  managers,  held  Feb.  IS,  1S32,  a  committee  was 
appointed,  with  power  to  make  arrangements  for  instructing  two  or  three 
blind  children  "  by  way  of  experiment."  At  the  next  meeting,  April  19, 
1832,  it  was  reported  by  this  committee,  that  three  children  had  been 
placed  under  instruction,  with  a  degree  of  success  which  "  afforded  de- 
cisive evidence  of  the  capabilities  of  the  blind  for  receiving  instruction." 
At  the  close  of  the  same  year,  the  number  of  pupils  had  increased  to  six, 
and  an  exhibition  of  their  exercises  was  given  at  the  City  Hotel,  which 
demonstrated  the  feasibility  of  the  "  experiment,"  and  awakened  an  in- 
terest that  gave  a  fresh  impetus  to  the  cause. 

In  1834,  the  Legislature  passed  an  act  providing  for  the  support  of 
thirty-two  indigent  blind  pupils.  From  this  time,  the  institution  main- 
tained a  career  of  increasing  prosperity,  until  it  was  enabled,  in  1839, 
through  legislative  and  private  donations,  to  erect  its  present  beautiful 
Gothic  edifice,  on  the  Ninth  Avenue. 

The  grounds  of  the  institution,  800  feet  in  length  and  200  in  width, 
occupy  the  square,  bounded  by  33d  and  31th  streets,  and  the  8th  and  9th 
Avenues.  The  edifice,  built  of  Sing  Sing  marble,  consists  of  three  stories, 
and  is  175  feet  in  length.  In  addition  to  the  various  apartments  used  for 
business  and  domestic  purposes,  it  contains  a  chapel,  library,  dormitories, 
and  school,  music,  and  work  rooms. 

Three  hundred  and  ten  pupils  have  been  admitted  into  this  institution. 
The  present  number  is  135.  The  charge  for  pay  pupils,  exclusive  of 
clothing,  is  !f^l30  per  annum.  The  provisions  of  the  act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, relative  to  the  support  of  a  certain  number  of  indigent  blind  pupils. 


BENEVOLENCE. 


97 


Society  ior  Belief  of  Poor  Widows. 


have  been  so  extended,  that  the  managers  are  now  authorized  to  receiva 
128  pupils  at  the  expense  of  the  State. 


INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND. 

The  system  of  instruction  includes  all  the  ordinary  English  branches 
as  well  as  higher  philosophical  and  mathematical  studies. 

The  library  contains  about  700  volumes  of  books  in  the  raised  letter, 
and  200  in  ordinary  type.  The  institution  also  possesses  maps  and  globes, 
with  a  few  pieces  of  philosophical  apparatus,  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the 
blind. 

In  addition  to  the  intellectual  course,  every  pupil,  whose  tastes  and 
talents  will  warrant,  receives  a  thorough  education  in  music,  both  vocal 
and  in'jtru mental,  and  is  instructed  in  a  trade.  The  pupils  leave  this  in- 
stitution mentally  and  morally  improved,  and  fitted  for  useful  stations  in 
society. 

The  Society  for  the  Relief  of  Poor  Widows  with  Small  Chil- 
dren, commenced  and  conducted  by  ladies,  was  the  first  association  of 
this  character  in  America;  and,  it  is  believed,  in  Great  Britain. 

In  November,  1797,  the  late  Mrs.  Isabella  Graham,  after  consulting 
with  a  few  friends  on  the  propriety  of  establishing  a  female  society  for  the 
relief  of  poor  widows  with  small  children,  addressed  circular  invitations 
to  the  ladies  of  New- York,  to  meet  at  her  house  for  the  purpose  of  digest- 
ing and  perfecting  the  plan.  A  respectable  number  assembled.  The 
project  was  approved,  and  the  society  organized.  It  seemed  a  provi- 
dential circumstance  that  this  institution  commenced  its  operations  in 
season  to  afford  relief  to  the  many  bereaved  families  who  had  lost  their 
husbands  and  fathers,  in  the  ravages  of  the  yellow  fever,  at  the  close  of 
the  last  century. 

5 


98  BENEVOLENCE. 


New-York  Orphan  Asylum. 


The  society  has,  during  more  than  half  a  century,  continued  in  suc- 
cessful operation.  Its  almoners  have  visited  the  abodes  of  distress,  dis- 
pensing temporal  aid  by  the  distribution  of  charity,  and  spiritual  comfort 
by  tiie  circulation  of  the  sacred  volume. 

The  number  of  beneficiaries,  during  the  years  1S47  and  1S4S,  has  been 
385  widows  and  1023  children  ;  and  the  sum  of  1^5,413  72  has  been  ex- 
pended in  affording  them  partial  relief. 

The  Orphax  Asylum  Society  of  the  City  of  New- York  is  the 
offspring  of  the  last  mentioned  institution.  No  sooner  was  the  "  Society 
for  the  Relief  of  Poor  Widows  with  Small  Children"  in  full  operation, 
than  the  pitiable  condition  of  those  children  who,  on  the  decease  of  the 
last  parent,  were  driven  to  seek  refuge  in  the  alms-house,  was  forcibly 
presented  to  the  view  of  its  managers.  Several  ladies,  two  of  whom, 
Mrs.  Gen.  Hamilton  and  Mrs.  Joanna  Bethune,*  still  survive,  and  are 
members  of  the  present  Board  of  Direction,  associated  for  the  purpose  of 
providing  an  Asylum  for  destitute  children  deprived  of  both  parents.  At 
a  meeting  held  at  the  City  Hotel,  on  the  15th  of  March,  lS0i5,  the  so- 
ciety was  duly  organized,  and,  on  the  1st  of  May,  the  Asylum  was  opened 
in  a  hired  house  in  Raisin-street, f  Greenwich  village. 

As  the  number  of  orphans  under  their  care  increased,  the  society  be- 
came desirous  of  erecting  a  commodious  building.  Tliey  petitioned  the 
Legislature  for  an  act  of  incorporation,  which  was  granted  in  April, 
1S07.  Four  lots  in  Bank-street  were  purchased  on  credit,  and  an  appeal 
to  the  clergy  of  the  different  religious  denominations,  resulted  in  collections, 
in  their  respective  congregations,  to  provide  the  means  for  the  erection  of 
tlie  edifice.  Notwithstanding  the  liberality  of  the  public,  the  society  was 
obliged  to  contract  a  large  d^ibt ;  but  subsequent  legislative  contributions, 
l)articularly  an  annual  grant  of  five  liiiiulred  dollars,  which  they  still 
receive,  extricated  them  from  all  embarrassments. 

A  period  of  thirty  years  sufficed  to  remove  the  vacant  space  between 
the  village  of  Greenwich  and  the  city  proper.  The  Asylum  was  sur- 
rounded with  newly-erected  buildings,  and  its  property  was  greatly  in- 
creased in  value.  Tiie  society  desired  to  remove  to  a  location  where  the 
children  could  enjoy  purer  air  and  more  ample  accommodations.  Accord- 
ingly with  the  advice  of  their  jjatrons,  they  sold  their  former  property, 
and  purchased  nine  and  one-half  acres  of  ground  at  Bloomingdale,  for 
Jtp'l 7,500.     On    the    9th    of  June,  1S30,    the  corner  stone   of  the    present 

*  To  this  Indy.  the  bio^^rapher  of  Mrs.  Graham,  wo  are  iiidobted  for  most  of  our  irv» 
formation  respecting^  this  and  the  last  mentioned  associations, 
f  Now  called  Uarrow-street. 


BENEVOLENCE.  99 


Leake  and  Watts  Orphan  House.— Colored  Orphan  Asylum. 

Asylum  was  laid.  In  1840,  the  completion  of  the  Orphans'  Home  was 
announced.*  This  family  of  helpless  children  are  now  provided  with  a 
beautiful,  spacious  and  convenient  abode,  and  suitable  accommodations 
for  moral  and  religious  instruction.    Their  present  number  is  125. 

The  Leake  and  Watts  Orphan  House  was  founded  by  the  legacy 
of  John  George  Leake.  Esq.,  who  died  in  this  city..  June  2,  1827.  The 
name  of  Watts  is  added,  out  of  respect  to  John  Watts,  Esq.,  the  executor 
of  Mr.  Leake,  who  withdrew,  in  favor  of  the  institution,  a  claim  which 
which  he  held,  by  the  conditions  of  the  will,  to  a  part  of  the  estate. 

The  House  is  situated  between  111th  and  112th  Streets,  and  between 
the  Ninth  and  Tenth  "Avenues,  about  seven  miles  from  the  City  Hall.  It 
consists  of  a  main  building,  fronting  towards  the  south,  and  two  wings, 
extending  east  and  west,  the  whole  presenting  a  front  of  about  206  feet  in 
length  It  was  opened  for  the  admission  of  orphan  children,  Nov.  1st, 
1843.  There  are  about  twenty-six  acres  of  land  connected  with  the  in- 
stitution. The  whole  is  unincumbered,  and  possesses  an  income  capable 
of  supporting  from  200  to  250  children.  There  are  194  in  the  House  at  the 
present  time.  The  beauty  of  the  surrounding  scenery,  which  is  seen  to 
great  advantage  from  several  points  on  the  premises,  together  with  the 
peculiarity  of  its  history,  and  the  nature  of  its  objects,  render  the  Orphan 
House  an  object  of  peculiar  interest  and  pride  to  our  citizens. 

Thb  Association  for  the  Benefit  of  Colored  Orphans,  was  or- 
ganized in  the  autunm  of  1836,  and  the  members  at  once  made  a  suc- 
cessful application  to  the  Legislature  for  an  act  of  incorporation.  The 
sum  of  }fj)3000  was  collected,  and  arrangements  made  for  commencing 
their  operations  on  a  limited  scale.  So  great  was  the  prejudice  against 
that  portion  of  the  destitute  whom  the  society  proposed  to  relieve,  that 
suitable  premises  couid  not  be  procured.  Rather  than  abandon  their  en- 
terprize,  the  managers  resolved  to  purchase  a  house  and  two  lots  of  land, 
on  Twelfth-street,  for  ^9000,  which  they  effected  by  adding  to  the  funds 
they  had  collected,  a  mortgage  upon  the  property  for  ifjiGOOO.  From  this 
time  their  affairs  prospered.  In  1840,  the  managers  reported  the  receipt 
of  ;fj>13,000  as  a  building  fimd,  and,  two  years  after,  they  were  able  to 
acknowledge  a  grant,  by  the  Corporation  of  the  city,  of  twenty  lots  of 
ground  on  the  Fifth  Avenue,  between  Forty-third  and  Forty-fourth 
streets. t  On  this  location,  they  immediately  erected  their  present  Asylum, 
a   substantial  edifice,  devoid  of  much  ornament,  but  harmonious  in  its 


»  Report  of  Trustees  of  Orphan  Asylum,  1840. 

t  Fourth  and  Sixth  Annual  Reports  of  Managers  of  Colored  Orphan  AsyltiM, 


1  CO  BENEVOLENCE. 


New-York  Dispensary. — Northern  and  Eastern  Dispensaries. — Marine  Society,  &c. 

proportions.  The  affairs  of  this  institution  are  conducted  according  to  the 
officially  expressed  opinion  of  a  prominent  municipal  officer,*  with  ad- 
mirable policy,  and  its  Asylum  is  perhaps  the  best  of  the  kind  in  the 
world.     At  the  date  of  the  last  report,  the  number  of  inmates  was  144.1 

The  New- York  Dispensary  was  originated  in  the  year  1790,  by  a  few 
charitable  individuals,  for  the  purpose  of  providing  gratuitous  medical 
treatment  and  remedies  for  the  destitute.  On  the  Sth  of  April,  1795,  it 
was  incorporated,  by  the  Legislature. 

Notwithstanding  its  limited  means,  the  institution  has  relieved  many 
thousands  of  the  sick  poor  yearly,  and  its  operations  have  been  gradually 
extended.  In  1S2S,  939S  sick  persons  were  afforded  reliL-f  at  an  ex- 
penditure of  only  ^1,S93  23. |  In  1S35,  23,444  patients  received  medical 
treatment  and  medicines  at  an  expenditure  of  ^2,702  13  ;§  and,  in  1S47, 
28,227  patients,  at  an  expenditure  of  ^3,476  96. ||  The  in.stitution  is 
chiefly  supported  by  private  subscription,  but  receives  a  small  yearly  gift 
from  the  Corporation  of  this  city,  and  from  the  Legislature, 

The  Northern  Dispensary,  at  the  corner  of  Waverley  Place  and 
Christopher-street,  founded  in  1S20,  and  the  Eastern  Dispensary,  at  the 
corner  of  Ludlow-street  and  Essex  Market  Place,  founded  in  1S34,  are 
branches  of  the  last  mentioned  institution. 

The  Marine  Society  of  the  City  of  New- York,  received  its  char- 
ter, during  the  administration  of  Lieutenant  Governor  Colden,  April  12th, 
1770.  It  was  incorporated  for  the  purpose  of  improving  maritime  know- 
ledge, and  relieving  indigent  and  distressed  (and.  the  wives  and  orphan 
children  of  deceased)  members. IT  The  permanent  funds  of  the  society 
at  present  amount  to  more  than  ^40,000,  the  interest  of  which  is  dis- 
bursed in  acts  of  charity.  The  pension  list  numbers  fifty-five  widows, 
one  of  which  has  received  the  yearly  aid  of  the  society  since  17SS,  when 
she  was  left  a  widow  with  two  children,  at  the  early  age  of  nineteen 
years.**  The  whole  amount  paid  to  distressed  members  and  widows  since 
the  formation  of  the  society,  in  1770,  is  about  $140,000. 

The  New- York  Nautical  Institution  and  Ship  Masters'  Society, 
was  organized  on  the  27th  of  January,  1S20,  and  incorporated  by  the 
Legislature  on  the  23d    of  M  vrch,  IS48,  for    the   purpose    of  promoting 

*  Report  of  Alms-House  Commissioner,  1847. 
t  F.levcntli  Annual  Report. 

I  Thirty-ninth  .\an'ial  Report  of  Trustees  of  Nev/-York  Dispensary. 
^Forty-sixth  .\niuial  Roptirt. 

II  Fiftycightli  Annual  Report. 

ir  Charter  of  the  Marine  Society. 

*♦  Last  Rei)0rt  of  the  Marine  Society  Committee. 


BENEVOLENCE.  lOl 


Marine  Hospital — Seamen's  Retreat. — Sailor's  Snug  Harbor. 

nautical   skill  and  knowledge,  and  of  affording  aid  and  relief  to  unfor- 
tunate ship-masters  and  their  destitute  widows  and  orphans.* 

The  Marine  Hospital,  located  at  the  Quarantine  Ground,  on  Staten 
Island,  is  designed  for  the  reception  of  sick  passengers  and  seamen  arriv- 
ing at  the  port.  It  is  imder  the  management  of  the  Commissioners  of 
Emigration.  Its  income  is  derived  from  the  tax  levied  upon  passengers 
arriving  from  foreign  port=5,  of  two  dollars  for  each  cabin  passenger,  and 
fifty  cents  for  each  passenger  in  the  steerage.  This  fund,  from  which  ap- 
propriations are  sometimes  made  to  other  objects,  amounts  at  present  to 
nearly  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  per  annum. 

The  Seamen's  Retreat,  situated  on  Staten  Island,  near  the  Quaran- 
tine Ground,  was  estabhshed  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  passed  April  22, 
1831,  for  providing  a  hospital  for  sick  and  disabled  seamen,  independ- 
ent of  that  appropriated  to  those  who  are  subject  to  quarantine.  Its 
affairs  are  conducted  by  trustees,  denominated  "  the  Trustees  of  the  Sea- 
men's Fund  and  Retreat  in  the  city  of  New-York,"  who  are  empowered 
to  collect  from  the  master  of  every  vessel  arriving  from  a  foreign  port,  for 
him>elf,  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents,  for  each  mate  one  dollar,  and  for  each 
sailor  belonging  to  his  vessel,  fifty  cents,  atid  from  the  master  of  each 
coasting  vessel  twenty-five  cents  for  each  member  of  the  crew.f  All  per- 
sons who  have  paid  such  "  hospital  moneys"  are  deemed,  when  sick  or 
disabled,  fit  objects  for  reception  into  the  Retreat.  On  the  16th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1S47,  the  Legislature  passed  an  act  instructing  the  trustees  to  provide 
a  building  to  be  exclusively  devoted  to  the  use  of  the  destitute,  sick  or 
infirm  mothers,  wives,  sisters,  daughters  or  widows  of  such  seamen  as 
have  for  two  years  contributed  to  the  hospital  funds. 

The  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor,  situated  on  the  north  side  of  Staten 
Island,  was  founded  in  ISOl,  by  the  bequest  of  Captain  Robert  Richard 
Randall,  for  maintaining  aged  and  infirm  seamen.  The  property,  consist- 
ing of  real  estate,  stocks  and  other  investments,  was  originally  estimated 
at  $50,000,  but  afterwards  rapidly  increased  in  value.  The  trustees  ap- 
pointed by  the  will,  procured  an  act  of  incorporation  from  the  Legislature, 
February  G,  1S06.  For  many  years  the  hospital  was  located  on  a  portion 
of  the  property,  at  the  corner  ol  Broadway  and  Ninth-street,  but  the 
original  building  has  given  place  to  the  present  large  and  commodious 
edifice,  consisting  of  a  main  building,  with  wings,  and  presenting  a  front 

*  Charter  of  the  Nautical  Institution. 

tThe  coasting  vessels  of  New-Jersey,  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island,  are  not 
obliged  to  pay  for  more  than  one  voyage  in  each  month. 


102  BENEVOLENCE. 


Mariner's  Faniiiy  Industrial  Society. — Am.  Bible  Soc. — Am,  Tract  Soc. 

225  feet    in   length.      Connected  with    the    asylum   are    160    acres   of 
land. 

The  Mariner's  Family  Industrial  Society  of  the  Port  of  New- 
York,  was  established  in  1843,  for  the  purpose  of  providing  work,  at  a 
fair  remuneration,  for  the  female  members  of  the  families  of  seamen,  and 
of  relieving  the  necessities  of  such  families,  when  incapable  of  labor.* 
By  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  passed  December  14th,  1847,  the  trustees 
of  the  Seamen's  Fund  and  Retreat,  were  authorised  to  pay,  at  their  dis- 
cretion, a  portion  of  the  surplus  moneys  in  their  hands,  to  the  destitute 
and  infirm  female  relatives  of  seamen  who  have  contributed  to  the  funds 
of  the  Retreat,  at  such  tunes  and  places  as  they  may  deem  expedient. 
Agreeably  to  the  provisions  of  this  act,  the  trustees  have  selected  this  so- 
ciety as  a  proper  medium,  through  which  to  distribute  such  funds  as  may 
be  appropriated  to  the  relief  of  this  destitute  class  of  the  community.! 
The  association  have  a  clothing  store  at  No.  322  Pearl-street. 

Of  those  institutions  that  are  considered  national,  we  will  mention  a  few 
that  are  not  of  a  denominational  character,  and  which  have  large  estab- 
lishments in  this  city  connected  with  their  operations. 

The  American  Bible  Society  was  organized  on  the  8th  of  May,  1816, 
by  delegates  from  existing  local  Bible  Societies  and  other  friends  of  the 
object.  Its  government  is  intrusted  to  thirty-six  managers.^  The  Bible 
House  is  located  at  115  Nassau-street.  The  number  of  copies  distributed 
the  last  year  w^as  G55,0i)G.  The  aggregate  issues  since  the  formation  of 
the  society  have  been  5,718,095  copies.  During  the  first  year's  operation 
of  the  society,  the  receipts  amounted  to  ^35,000  :  the  last  year,  they  were 
^254,377  88.  The  number  of  auxiliary  societies  is  now  about  1200,  with 
2500  branches.  The  society  have  published  the  Bible  in  several  foreign 
languages,  and  have  furnished  means  to  publish  it  at  various  missionary 
stations. 

The  Abierican  Tract  Society  was  organized  by  a  union  of  various 
local  associations  of  a  similar  nature.  May  10,  1825.  After  a  successful 
rise  and  progress,  it  was  incorporated  by  the  Legislature  May  20,  1841. 
The  object  of  the  institution  is  the  distribution  of  such  religious  tracts  and 
volumes  as  "  shall  receive  the  approbation  of  all  evangelical  Christians, "& 
The  Publishing,  Distributing,  and  Finance  Committees,  have  the  su- 
pervision of  the    several  departments  indicated  by    their    appellations; 

*  Constitution  of  Mariner's  Family  Induslial  Society. 

t  Foiirtli  Ann.  Hop.  of  M.  F.  I.  Soc. 

{  Constit.  of  Am.  Bible  Society. 

^  Constitution  of  Am.  Tract  Society. 


BENEVOLENCE.  1^3 


Am.  Protestant  Soc— Am.  Seaman's  Friend  Soc— Am.  Board  of  Com,  for  For.  Missions. 

and  to  them  collectively,  under  the  title  of  the  Executive  Committee,  is 
intrusted  the  entire  management  of  the  concerns  of  the  society.  The 
present  Tract  House,  on  the  corner  of  Nassau  and  Spruce  streets,  was 
erected  in  1S46.  More  than  6,000,000  of  tracts,  and  about  700,000  vo- 
lumes of  books,  are  annually  distributed. 

The  American  Protestant  Society  was  organized  in  1844,  for  the 
purpose  of  diffusing,  as  its  name  indicates,  correct  information  respecting 
the  principles  of  the  Protestant  religion,  and  the  distinctions  between  Pro- 
testantism and  Romanism.*  The  society  publishes  a  monthly  magazine, 
called  "  the  American  Protestant,"  as  well  a.s  a  semi-niontiily  newspaper 
in  the  German  language,  called  "  the  Free  German  Catholic,"  which, 
though  just  commenced,  has  about  five  hundred  subscribers.!  It  like- 
wise issues  various  works  calculated  to  promote  the  grand  object  it  has 
in  view,  which  are  for  sale  at  its  depository,  No.  150  Nassau-street. 

This  association  is  soon  to  become  consolidated  with  the  Christian  Al- 
liance, oro-anized  in  1S43,  for  promoting  religious  freedom  and  ditlusing 
religious  know  ledge  in  Italy  and  other  Papal  countries,!  and  the  Foreign 
Evangelical  Socikty,  which  seeks  the  conversion  of  Roman  Catholics  in 
Papal  and  other  nominally  Christian  countries. § 

The  American  Seamen's  Friend  Society  was  organized  at  a  public 
meeting  held  in  the  City  Hotel  in  January,  1S2G,||  and  incorporated  by 
the  Legislature  in  1833.  Its  object  is  to  improve  the  social  and  moral 
condition  of  seamen. IT  The  society  publishes  the  Sailor's  Magazine,  and 
monthly  journal,  with  a  circulation  of  more  than  COOO  copies  as  well  as 
other  moral  and  religious  works,  at  its  office,  No.  82  Wall-street.  The 
Sailor's  Home,  No.  190  Cherry-street,  was  established,  and  is  under  the 
supervision  of  the  society.  The  savings  bank  for  seamen,  at  No.  81  Wall- 
street,  likewise  connected  with  this  association,  has  been  already  referred 
to  in  its  proper  i)lace. 

The  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions, 
whose  operations  are  far  more  extensive  than  those  of  any  other  benevolent 
association  in  America,  having  only  an  agency  in  this  city,  does  not  come 
within  the  scofjc  of  our    subject. 


»  Gonstit.  of  Am.  Prot.  Roc. 

t  Fifth  Ann.  Rcj).  of  Am    Prot.  Soc. 

\  Con^tit.  of  Christian  AUiance. 

^  Constit.  of  For.  Evang.  Soc. 

II  Nineteenth  Ann.  Rep.  of  Seamen's  Friend  Soc. 

H  Constit.  of  S.  F.  Soc. 


CHAPTER  YII. 


EDUCATION. 

Institutions  of  learning  have  not  been  despised  by  the  citizens  of  New 
York.  In  fewer  cities  has  more  Uberal  provision  been  made,  both  for  the 
instruction  of  tlie  masses,  and  the  training  of  those  minds  that  desire  to 
range  the  loftier  fields  of  literature  and  of  intellect.  In  tlie  earlier  days  ol 
the  provincial  government,  little  attention,  it  is  true,  was  paid  to  tiie  de- 
mands of  education.  The  colony  of  New-York  owed  its  origin  to  com- 
n'lCrcial  interests — an  influence  by  no  means  favorable  to  the  develop- 
ment or  discipline  of  the  powers  of  the  mind.  While  other  colonies, 
planted  as  asylums  from  religious  intolerance,  early  manifested  a  zeal 
in  tlie  cause  of  letters,  which  led  to  the  establishment  of  seats  of  learn- 
ing that  are  now  the  ornament  of  our  country,  the  means  for  ari  in- 
different education  conld  scarcely  be  found  in  the  province  of  New-York. 
But  their  descendants  have  amply  atoned  for  this  remissness  of  the  original 
settlers.  And  at  present  New-York  is  not  only  supplied  with  a  most 
effective  system  of  common  school  instruction,  but  can  boast  of  institu- 
tions of  learning  that  stand  high  in  public  esteem. 

There  are  three  classes  of  schools  supported  at  the  public  expense  in 
the  city  of  New- York  : — 

1.  Schools  of  the  Public  School.  Society,  an  incorporated  body, 
founded  in  ISOo,  which  has,  at  the  present  time,  under  its  management, 
one  hundred  and  fifteen  schools. 

2.  Ward  Schools,  organized  under  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  passed 
May,  1S42,  and  managed  by  Trustees,  Inspectors  and  Commissioners, 
elected  in  the  several  wards.     The  number  of  these  schools  is  fifty-four, 

3.  Corporate  Schools,  consisting  principally  of  those  of  the  orphan 
asylums  and  other  charitable  institutions. 

All  the.^e  schools  participate  equally  in  the  apportionment  of  the  school 
moneys,  mid;;  by  the  Board  of  Education,  composed  of  the  Commission- 
ers ol"  all  the  Wards,  to  whom  th(;y  are  required  to  cnder  annual  reports. 
The  amount  apportioned  for  the  current  year  was  $;19'J,743  SI,  oi  which 


EDUCATION.  105 


Public  Schools. — Columbia  College. 


the  sum  of  39,183  58  was  received  irom  the  State,  and  the  remainder 
raLsed  by  taxation  on  real  and  personal  property. 

The  whole  number  of  scholars  taught  in  all  these  schools,  during  the 
year  ending  January  31,  1S4S,  was  83,595.  The  actual  average  attend- 
ance, was  32,122. 

On  the  7th  of  May,  1847,  an  act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature,  au- 
thorizing the  Board  of  Education  of  the  city  of  New-York  to  establish  a 
Free  Academ\'.  It  gave  authority  to  erect  a  building  at  an  expense  of 
^'.30,000,  and  authorized  the  annual  expenditure  of  §'20,000  for  its  sup- 
port. The  act  provided,  as  a  condition  to  its  becommg  a  law,  that  the 
question  whether  such  an  acad-niy  should  be  established,  be  submitted 
to  the  people.  The  question  was  so  submitted,  and  19,404  votes  were 
given  in  favor  of,  and  3,409  against  the  measure.  The  building,  an  im- 
posing structure,  on  the  corner  of  Lexington  Avenue  and  Twenty-third- 
street,  is  now  completed,  and  the  institution  commenced  its  operations 
in  February,  1849.  Previous  connection  with  the  ward  or  public  schools 
is  necessary  to  render  a  student  eligible  for  admission  into  the  Academy. 

New-York  is  the  seat  of  two  collegiate  institutions,  as  well  as  of  se- 
minaries of  a  high  character,  connected  with  the  learned  professions. 

Coi-U-MBFA  College  was  founded  during  the  colonial  government.* 

At  various  times  during  the  early  part  of  the  last  century,  the  establish- 
ment of  a  seat  of  learning  wtiS  proposed,  but  it  was  not  until  1746  that 
vigorous  measures  were  set  on  foot  fjr  the  accomplishment  of  this  object. 
A  controversy  as  to  the  religious  character  of  the  intended  college,  was 
terminated  by  the  adoption  of  Episcopal  forms,  and,  on  the  SJst  of 
October,  1754,  a  charter,  under  the  royal  seals,  ijiving  to  the  new  in- 
stitution the  name  of  Kind's  College,  was  obtained. f 

In  1750,  a  college  edifice  was  erected  on  ground  given  by  Trinity 
Church,  situated  in  Church-street,  between  Barclay  and  Murray  streets, 
and  the  institution  became  established  under  the  presidency  of  Rev.  Samuel 
Johnson,  D.D.,  of  Connecticut.  This  gentleman  resigned  his  office  in  1763, 
and  was  succeeded  by  Rev,  Myles  Cooper,  D.D.,  of  Oxford,  England.  To 
extend  its  sphere  o(  instruction,  a  Grammar,  and  a  Medical  School,  the 
former  in  1763,  and  the  latter  in  1767,  were  established  in  the  college; 
and,  previ  nisly  to  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  the  institution  embraced  in 
its  plan  of  education  nearly  all  the  branches  of  literature  and  science 
taught  by  the  European  colleges. J 

♦  Pres.  Moore's  Hi-^t.  Sketch  of  Colum.  Coll.  is  the  principal  authority  for  the  facts 
contained  in  the  follow  ins?  article, 
t  Smith's  History  of  New-York. 
\  Account  of  King's  College,  supposed  to  have  been  written  by  Dr.  Cooper  in  1773 

5* 


106  EDUCATION. 


Columbia  College. 


In  April,  1776,  a  requisition  was  made  upon  the  ofiicers  of  the  in- 
stitution by  the  Committee  of  Safety,  for  the  surrender  of  the  building,  to 
be  used  as  a  military  hospital.  This  led  to  the  dispersion  of  the  students, 
the  loss  of  a  large  portion  of  the  library  and  apparatus,  and  the  almost 
total  suspension  of  the  college  exercises  for  a  period  of  eight  years. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  1784,  the  Legislature  established  an  institution 
called  the  University  of  the  State,  the  Regents  of  which  were  constituted 
Supervisors  of  all  the  seminaries  of  learning  in  the  State.  At  the  same 
time  the  name  "  King's  College,"  was  changed  to  "  Columbia  College." 
Owing  to  defects  in  the  act  appointing  the  Regents  of  the  University, 
another  act  was  passed  in  1787,  placing  the  college  under  the  care  of 
twenty-nine  trustees.  In  the  same  year,  the  vacancy  in  the  presidential 
chair  caused  by  the  flight  of  Dr.  Corper,  at  the  conmiencement  of  the  Re- 
volution, was  filled  by  the  election  of  William  Samuel  Johnson,  LL.  D., 
son  of  the  first  president.  During  the  administration  of  this  gentleman, 
and  the  succeeding  presidencies  of  Rev.  Dr.  "Wharton,  Bishop  Moore,  and 
Rev.  Dr.  Harris,  the  college  continued  to  increase  in  reputation  and  influ- 
ence . 

On  the  first  of  November,  1813,  the  medical  department  of  the  college 
"was  merged  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  an  institution  es- 
tablished by  the  Regents  of  the  University.  In  consequence  of  doubt 
as  to  the  permanent  location  of  the  college  on  the  grounds  it  then  oc- 
cupied, the  bu'ldings  had  been  suflered  to  remain  for  some  years  without 
repair  ;  but  this  doubt  having  been  removed  by  a  report  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  extensive  alterations  and  additions  were  projected  in  1817,  and 
completed  in  1820.  The  decease  of  Dr.  Harris,  in  1829,  was  followed  by 
the  appointment  of  William  A.  Duer,  LL.  D.,  as  his  successor. 

The  proposal  for  the  establishment  of  the  City  University,  in  1830,  in 
which  a  more  general  system  of  instruction  than  that  adopted  by  Colum- 
bia College,  should  be  introduced,  led  to  the  establishment,  on  the  part 
of  the  latter  institution,  of  an  additional  course  of  study,  called  tlie  Sci- 
entific and  Literary  Course,  in  distinction  from  that  already  existing, 
which  was  denominated  the  Full  Course  ;  but  this  plan,  having  failed  to 
receive  the  support  of  the  public,  was,  in  1843,  discontinued.  In  1S42, 
President  Duer  was  compelled,  in  consequence  of  ill  health,  to  resign  his 
oiflce,  and  Nathaniel  F.  Moore,  LL.  D.,  was  elected  in  his  place. 

President  Moore  still  retains  his  connection  with  the  institution.  The 
other  members  of  the  faculty  are  the  following :— 


' 


EDUCATION". 


107 


New- York  University. 


Rev.  Jno.M'Vickar,  S.T.  D.,  Prof.  Int.  if  Mor.  Phil.,  Pol.  Econ.,  Rhet.,  Bel.  Let. 
Chas.  Anthon.  LL.D..  Prof,  of  Grk.  6f  Lat.  Lang,  and  Lit.,  and  Red.  Gram.  Sch. 
Jas.  Renwick.  LL.D.,  Prof,  of  Natural  <V  Experim.  Philosophy  and  Chemistry. 
Rev.  Charles  W.  Hackley,  S.  T.  D..  Professor  of  Mathematics  &f  Jstronomy. 
Henry  Dkisler,  Jr.,  A.'^l.,  Adjunct  Professor  of  the  Greek  6f  Latin  Languages. 
Rev.  H.  L  Schmidt,  A.3L,  Gehhard-Prof  of  the  German  Langif  Literature. 
Mariano  Velazquez  de  la  Cadena,  LL.  B..  Prof,  of  Spanish  Lang,  and  LiL 
Rev.  Samuel  H.  Turner,  D.D.,  Professor  of  the  Hebrew  Language. 
E.  Felix  Foresti,  I-L.  h. Professor  of  the  Italian  Language  and  Literature. 
Felix  G.  Berteau,  LL.  B.,  Professor  of  the  French  Language  and  Literature. 
John  W.  S.  Hows.  Professor  of  Elocution, 
VVLLtTAM  Betts,  A.3L,  Professor  of  Law. 


W 

O 

o 


NEW-YORK  UNIVERSITY. 

The  University  of  the  City  of  New- York  received  its  charter  April 
21, 1S31.  At  the  close  of  the  succeeding  month,  James  M.  Matthews,  D.  D., 
was  appointed  Chancellor  of  tlie  institution.  The  University  may  be  con- 
sidered as  having  been  opened  for  instruction  in  September,  1832.  Lectures 
had  been  previously  delivered,  but  it  was  not  until  the  26th  of  this  month 
that  the  Chancellor  and  Professors  were  inaugurated.  One  of  the  earliest 
matters  that  occupied  the  attention  of  the  Council  was  the  erection  of  a 
suitable  edifice.  The  present  beautiful  Gothic  structure,  in  University 
Place,  between  Washington  and  Waverley  Places,  was  the  result  of  their 
efforts.  This  was  completed  in  1836.  The  expenses  attending  the  es- 
tablishment of  an  infant  collegiate  institution,  and  the  erection  of  the 
costly  edifice,  had  created  a  large  debt,  which  was  subsequently  the  cause 


108  EDUCATION. 


Med.  Depart,  of  N.  Y.  University. — College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons. 

of  much  embarrassment,  and  when,  on  the  ISth  of  March,  1S39,  tlie  pre- 
sent Chancellor,  Theodore  Frelinghuysen,  LL.  D.,  was  elected, the  Uni- 
versity was  rapidly  declining.  Under  the  auspices,  however,  of  this  dis- 
tinguished gentleman,  the  institution  emerged  from  its  difficulties,  and  is 
now  in  a  prosperous  condition.  For  the  last  seven  years,  thirty  has  been 
theaveragenumber  annually  graduated  at  the  University.  The  present  num- 
ber of  students  exceeds  one  hundred  and  fifty.*  Connected  with  the 
institution,  are  a  medical  department  and  a  grammar  school.  The  latter, 
under  the  superintendence  of  Professor  Johnson,  contains  nearly  two  hun- 
dred students — the  former  will  claim  our  distinct  attention.  The  officers 
of  the  academical  department  of  the  University  are  the  lollowing: — 


o 

p 


'-<; 


Hon.  Theo.  Frelinghuvsex,  LL.  P.,  Chanc,  and  Prof,  of  Mor.  Phil,  and  Rhet. 

Cykus  Mason,  D  D.,  Prof,  of  I'ulit.  Economtj  and  Evidences  of  Rtccaled  Relig. 

TAYLEit  Lewis,  LL.  D.,  Professor  of  the  Greek  Lnnfsuage  and  Literature. 

E.  A.  Johnson",  A.AL,  Professor  of  the  Latin  Language  and  Literature. 

C.  S.  Henry,  D.D.,  Pro/,  of  Intellec.  Philosoplnj,  History,  and  Belles-Lettrcs. 

John  W.  Draper,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Chemist rij  and  JSatural  History. 

Elias  Loomis,  A.m.,  Prof,  of  Mathematics,  Natural  P  kilo  sop  ky, and  Astronomy. 

M.  GiRAUD,  Professor  of  the.  French  Language. 

Julio  Soleii,  Professor  of  the  Spanish  Language. 

Felix  Foresti,  Professor  of  the  Italian  Lan'j:7iage. 

G.  J.  Adler,  A.m.,  Professor  of  the  German  Language. 

The  Medical  Departmeivt  of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New- 
York  is  located  at  No.  G59  Broadway.  Tiiough  a  branch  of  the  last 
mentioned  institution,  it  is  under  a  distinct  organization.  It  has  attain- 
ed a  high  degree  of  prosperity.  The  number  of  students  exceeds  four 
hundred. t  The  college  building  contains  a  large  museum,  and  lecture  and 
dissecting  rooms.     The  following  are  the  medical  j^rofessors  : — 

Hon.  Theo.  Frelinghuysen,  LT^.D.,  Chanc.  of  the  Univ.,  President  of  the  Faculty. 
Valentine  Moxr.  ]\LD.,  Prof,  of  the  Principles,  Practice,  and  Opera,  of  Surgery. 
Granville  S.  PattisoN,  AF.D.,  Prof,  of  General,  Descript.,  and  Sur'^ical  Anatomy. 
Samuel  Henry  Dickson,  M.D.,  Professor  of  the  Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine. 
Martin  Paine,  M.D.,  Professor  of  the  Institutes  of  Medicine  and  Materia  Medico. 
G.  S.  BEUFOitD,  M.D.,  Prof,  of  Midwifery,  and  Diseases  of  Women  and  Children. 
John  William  DiiArER,  M.D.,  Profissor  of  Chemistry. 
Wm.  IL  Van  Buren,  M.D.,  Prosector  to  the  Prof,  of  Surgery. 
William  Darling,  M.D.,  Demonstrator  of  Anatomy. 

The  College  OF  Phystcians  and  Surgeons  in  the  City  of  New- York, 
is  the  oldest  medical  college  in  the  State.  In  1791,  the  Regents  of  the 
State  University  were  authorized  to  found  a  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  and,  in  1S07,  the  in.nitution  that  forms  the  subject  of  this-  sketch, 
received  its  charter.  The  professors  appointed  to  take  charge  of  tiie  A'arious 
departments  were  designated  by  the  title  of  "  Professors  of  the  University 
of  the  State  of  New-York,  for  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons."J 

*  Catologue  ofUniv    of  the  City  of  N.  Y. 

f  Catalogue  of  Med   Department  of  Uuiv.  of  City  of  N.  Y 

{  Charter  of  Coll.  of  Pliys.  and  Surg. 


EDUCATION".  109 


Gen.  Theol.  Sem.  cf  Prot.  Epis.  Church  —Union  Theol.  Seminary. 

In  1S13,  the  medical  department  of  Columbia  College  was  merged  in  this 
institution.*  With  the  exception  of  two  periods  of  discord  among  its 
officer',  in  ISIO,  and  in  152G,  leading  to  the  resignation  of  professors,  it 
has  maintained  a  prosperous  career.  The  college  editice  is  situated  at  No. 
07  Crosby-street.  The  institution  possesses  a  valuable  library  and  mu- 
seum, and  has  at  present  about  two  hundred  studentSjf  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  following  professors: — 

A.  H   Stevens,  M.D.,  Prcs.  of  CaVrrre,  and  Emerifvs  Prof,  of  Clinical   Surgery. 

J.  Mather  S.>irTU.  M.I).,  Prof,  of  Theory  and  Priic.  of  Medicine  and  Clinical  Med. 

John  15.  Beck,  ^I.D.,  Professor  of  Materia  Medira  and  Medical  Jurisprudence. 

John  'roRiiEY,.M.  D.,  \Aj.  D,  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Botany. 

Robert  Watts,  Jr.,  ]M.D..  Professor  of  Anatomy. 

WiLi.ARO  Parker,  31  D.,  Prof  of  Prin.  and  Pruct.  of  Surgery  and  Surg.  Anatomy, 

CiiAiNDLER  R.  GtLMAV,  .Al.t).,  Prof  of  Obstetrics  and  Dis.  of  Women  and  Children. 

Alonzo  ("lark,  M.l).,  fjectiirei  on  Physiology  and  Pathology. 

GusTAVus  A.  Sahine.  iM.D.,  Demonstrator  of  Anatomy. 

Lewis  A.  Sayre,  M.l).,  Prosector  of  Surgery. 

The  Gkn'eual  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church  in  the  United  States  was  founded  in  1S19,  and  incor- 
porated in  1S22.  It  consists  of  two  edifices  of  stone,  each  about  52  by 
110  feet,  standing  on  ground,  in  Twentieth-street,  between  the  Ninth  and 
Tenth  Avenues,  presented  by  Clement  C.  Moore,  LL.  D.  The  number  of 
students  is  nearly  seventy.]:  The  library  contains  over  10,000  volumes. § 
It  is  governed  by  a  Board  of  Trustees,  consisting  of  the  Bishops,  and  a 
certain  number  of  representatives,  varying  according  to  circumstances, 
from  each  diocese. ||  The  number  of  tru.^tees  to  which  the  diocese  of  New- 
York  is  at  present  entitled  is  fifty-one. IT     The  following  are  the  officers  : — 

Rt.  Rev.  B.  T.  Onderdonk,  D  D.,  Chn.  of  Fac,  Prof,  of  Nat.  Min.  and  Pol.  of  Ch- 

Rev.  SamI'el  II.  Turner,  D.D.,  Prof,  of  Pihl.  Learning  and  Interp.  of  Scripture. 

Rev.  Bird  Wilson,  D.I)..  LL.  D.,  Prof,  of  Systematic  JJivin.,  and  Dean  of  Faculty. 

Cle.ment  C.  Moore,  LL.  l>..  Professor  of  Oriental  and  Greek  Literature. 

Rev.  John  D.  Ogflby,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History. 

Rev.  Benj.  1.  IIaight,  D.D.,  Profeasor  of  Pastoral  Theology  and  Pulpit  Eloquence, 

The  Union  Theological  Seminary  was  founded  January  18,  1836,  and 
opened  for  instruction  the  same  year.  The  building,  a  commodious  brick 
edifice.  No.  9  University  Place,  between  Waverley  Place  and  Eighth-street, 
contains  the  chapel,  library,  lecture  rooms,  and  apartments  for  students. 
A  most  valuable  library,  containing  about  17,000  volumes,  is  connected 
with  the  institution.  The  number  of  students  exceeds  one  hundred.  The 
seminary,  though  under  the   management  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  is 

♦  Moore's  Hist.  Sketch  of  Colum.  Coll. 

t  Ann    Catal.  of  Regents  of  Univ.  of  State  of  N.  Y, 

\  CataL  of  Gen.  Throl.  Sem. 

§Last  Rep.  of  Gen.  Theol   Sem.  to  Trustees. 

II  Act  of  Incorp.  Constit.  and  Statutes  of  Gen.  Theol.  Sem..  published  1845. 

^  Jour,  of  Sixty-fourth  Conven.  of  Prot.  Epis.  Church  in  Diocese  of  N.  Y. 


110  EDUCATION. 


Rutccers  Female  Institute, 


open  for  the  admission  of  students  from  every  denomination  of  Christians.* 

The  professors  and  instructors  are  six  in  number. 

Rev.  Hrnry  White,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Systematic  Theology. 

Rev.  Edward  Robinson,  D.D.,  LL.  D.,  Professor  of  Biblical  Literature. 

Rev.  THoaiAS  II.  Skinner,  D.D.,  Prof  of  Sacred  Rhetoric  and  Pastoral  Theology. 

Rev.  LuTHKR  Halsey,  D.D.,  Lecturer  in  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History. 

W.  VVaddkn  Turner,  Instructor  in  Elements  of  Hebrew  and  kindred  Lang. 

Edward  JtlowE,  Jr.,  A.M.,  Instructor  in  Sacred  Music. 

The  Rutgers  Female  Institute  is  pleasantly  located  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  city,  near  the  mansion  of  the  late  Col.  Rutgers,  from  whom  it  de- 
rived its  name.  It  was  incorporated  in  183S,  and  placed  under  the  care 
of  the  Regents  of  tlie  State  University  in  the  following  year.  It  is  an 
institution  exclusively  devoted  to  the  education  of  young  ladies.  The 
money  required  for  the  erection  and  furnishing  of  the  buildings  was  raised 
by  subscription;  the  land  which  they  occupy,  a  munificent  donation,  was 
given  by  Wm.  B.  Crosby,  Esq.  A  large  and  expensive  chemical  and 
philosophical  apparatus,  adequate  to  all  the  pur2:)Oses  of  illustration,  has 
been  purchased  for  the  institution.  Few  of  our  colleges  can  boast  of 
greater  facilities  for  instruction  in  these  departments  of  science.  The  li- 
brary contains  2000  volumes  of  well  selected  works.  The  system  of  in- 
struction, embracing  an  extensive  range  of  study  in  the  belles-lettres,  his- 
tory, matlicmatics  and  philosophy,  is  thorough  and  practical.  The  grand 
results  aimed  at,  are  discipline  and  a  2^>'fpo,^tttion  for  the  duties  and  re- 
sponsibilities of  life.     The  following  Professors  constitute  the  Faculty : — 

CitAS.  E.  West,  A.M.,  Principal,  and  Prof,  of  Chemistry  and  Natural  Philosophy. 

George  J.  Adler,  A.M.,  Professor  of  the  Latin  and  German  Languages. 

Sen.  Secchi  De  Casali,  Professor  of  the  Italian  Language. 

George  F.  Root,  Teacher  of  Music. 

Thos.  S.  Cummings,  Teacher  of  Drawing  and  Painting, 

With  twenly-two  Assistant  Teachers. 

To  many  of  the  literary  and  scientific  institutions,  as  well  as  benevo- 
lent institutions  which  we  have  noticed,  are  appended  valuable  schools  in 
various  departments  of  instruction.  New-York  is  likewise  well  supplied 
with  private  schools  and  seminaries  which  our  limits  will  not  permit  us 
to  notice.  We  proceed  to  inquire,  what  is  the  influence  of  these  institu- 
tions on  the  community. 

•  Catal.  of  Un.  Theol.  Sem., 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


LITERATURE,  SCIENCE,  AND  TASTE. 

The  centers  of  learning  send  forth  a  light  that  extends  far  beyond  those 
circles  that  have  been  directly  illuminated  by  its  rays,  and  penetrates  the 
darkest  portions  of  society.  Whatever  educates  a  portion  of  the  com- 
munity, increases  the  taste  of  the  whole  for  those  pursuits  and  pleasures 
that  are  based  upon  the  exercise  of  the  intellectual  poM^ers.  Even  those 
who  have  not  greatly  participated  in  the  benefits  of  early  instruction,  are 
carried  alont^  in  the  general  current.  The  mind  that  has  been  trained  by 
proper  culture,  must,  in  maturer  years,  feel  a  deep  interest  in  whatever 
elevates  the  power  of  perception,  or  enlarges  the  scope  of  intellect.  Such 
inind?,  scattered  through  the  community,  cannot  fail  to  exert  an  influence 
on  those  with  whom  they  come  in  contact ;  and  the  spirit  of  inquiry,  and 
the  love  of  contemplation,  thus  awakened  and  extended,  never  slumber. 

Althou'di  mercantile  pursuits  are  not  favorable  to  the  promotion  of 
literature,  science,  or  the  fine  arts,  the  merchants  of  New- York  support, 
more  than  might  reasonably  l)e  expected,  and  much  more  than  is  generally 
supposed,  institutions  designed  to  disseminate  information,  to  promote 
inquiries  in  science  and  the  arts,  and  to  excite  in  the  public  a  taste  for 
the  sublime  and  beautiful.  Like  all  business  men,  their  principal  aim  is 
the  accumulation  of  property;  but  it  may  well  be  doubted,  whether  any 
other  business  community  in  the  country,  is  stamped  by  a  deeper  literary 
and  scientific  impress. 

A  threefold  division  is  indicated  by  the  title  of  this  chapter.  But,  as 
the  researches  of  literature  often  meet  and  run  parallel  with  the  investiga- 
tions of  science,  it  is  difficult,  in  some  cases,  to  draw  a  nice  distinction. 

Of  the  Literary  Institutions  of  New-York,  we  will  mention  the  most 
important. 

The  New- York  Historical,  Society  was  organized  in  1804,  by  a  few 
public  spirited  citizens,  and  the  foundation  of  a  library  soon  after  com- 


112  LITERATURE,    SCIENCE,    AND    TASTE. 

New-York  Society  Library. 

menced  by  the  purchase  of  a  collection  made  by  one  of  the  members.  In 
1814,  the  Lei,nslalure  granted  free  access  at  all  times  to  the  documents 
and  records  of  the  State,  and  soon  after  contributed  $'12,000  to  aid  the 
society  in  procuring  books,  manuscripts,  and  other  materials,  to  illustrate 
the  natural,  literary,  civil  and  ecclesiastical  history  of  America.*  Thus 
patronised  by  the  State,  and  aided  by  the  contributions  and  exertions  of 
the  citizens  of  New- York,  the  institution  has  been  able  to  collect  one  of 
the  best  historical  libraries  in  the  country. 

The  rooms  of  the  society,  in  the  University,  on  Washington  Square,  are 
open  exclusively  to  members  and  strangers  introduced  by  members.  The 
library  at  present  contains  about  twelve  thousand  printed  volumes,  several 
thousand  pamphlets,  two  thousand  maps  and  charts,  and  over  one  thou- 
sand bound  volumes  of  newspapers,  including  a  regular  series  from  the 
first  published  in  the  country,  in  1704,  to  the  present  time.  The  institu- 
tion likewise  possesses  a  valuable  cabinet  of  coins,  medals,  busts,  por- 
traits and  curiosities.  Several  volumes  of  collections  have  been  published 
by  the  society.  The  stated  meetings  arc  held  on  the  first  Tuesday  evening 
of  every  month,  with  the  exception  of  July,  August  and  September. 
Hon.  Albert  Gallatin,  LL.  D.,;  is  the  president,  and  Jacob  B.  Moore,  Esq., 
the  librarian. 

The  New- York  Society  Library  is  the  oldest  public  library  of  the 
kind  in  the  United  States.  It  originated  in  an  institution,  founded  in 
1700,  during  the  administration  of  the  Earl  of  Bellamont,  and  denomin- 
ated "  The  Public  Library  of  New- York."  Various  records  occur  on  the 
minutes  of  the  Common  Council  relative  to  this  library;  the  most  import- 
ant of  which  is  the  mention  of  the  bequest  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Millington, 
Rector  of  Newington,  England,  who  gave  1000  volumes  to  "  the  society 
for  the  promotion  of  Christian  knowledge,"  "  for  the  use  of  the  clergy  and 
gentlemen  of  New- York  and  the  neighboring  provinces." 

In  1754,  a  number  of  gentlemen  undertook  to  establish  a  librarv,  which 
they  designated  "  The  New- York  Society  Library."  The  old  "  Public 
Library"  having  fallen  into  disuse,  the  trustees  obtained  permission  from 
the  corporation  of  the  city  to  engraft  their  collection  on  the  former.  The 
new  library  was  in  successful  operation,  when  the  war  of  the  Revolution 
arrested  its  progress,  and  scattered  many  of  its  treasures  beyond  the 
reach  of  recovery.  Rut,  after  the  restoration  of  peace,  it  was  re-estab 
lished.  In  1794,  we  find  the  society  in  possession  of  a  building,  evincing 
much  architectural  taste,  situated  in  Nassau-street,  opposite  the  Middle 
Dutch  church.  Here,  until  the  crowding  demands  of  commerce  drove  it 
*  Act  of  the  Legislature,  April  15.  1814. 


LITERATURE,    SCIENCE,    AND  TASTE.  113 

Mercantile  Library  Association. 

further  from  her  domains,  the  library  continued  to  dispense  its  benefits, 
and  to  accumulate  gradually  a  collection  now  become  of  inappreciable 
value. 

In  iS  10,  the  society  entered  upon  a  new  phase  in  its  progress,  by  the 
completion  of  its  present  edifice  on  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Leonard- 
street.  This  building,  100  feet  long,  by  60  wide,  is  constructed  of  finely- 
cut  brown  sand  stone,  and  presents  on  Broadway  a  chaste  fafade  of  Ionic 
columns.  On  i)assing  the  structure,  the  eye  is  arrested  by  its  bold  and 
massive  front,  while  the  beauty  of  its  proportions,  and  its  highly  finished 
masonry,  elicit  the  approbation  of  good  taste  and  critical  observation.  The 
cost  of  the  ground,  building  and  furniture,  was  ^118,000. 

The  society  numbers  over  1000  members,  and  possesses  a  library  of 
about  40,000  volumes.  The  terms  of  membership  require  a  payment  oi 
$25  for  a  share,  liable  to  an  annual  charge  of  six  dollars 

The  Mercantile  Library  Association  is  composed  of  merchants^ 
clerks.  It  originated  in  a  meeting  held  at  the  Tontine  Cotfee-House,  in 
Wall-street,  November  9,  1S20.  After  occupying  for  some  years  rooms 
in  Fulton-street,  and  afterwards  in  Cliff-street,  the  increasing  prosperity  of 
the  institution  suggested  the  idea  of  enlarging  its  sphere  of  action.  Many  of 
the  principal  merchants  cordially  responded  to  the  appeals  of  its  members, 
and  the  sum  of  between  thirty  and  forty  thousand  dollars  was  subscribed 
for  tne  accompli.-:hment  of  the  object.*  The  subscribers  orsranized  them- 
selves as  a  new  association,  and  after  the  erection  of  a  building,  which 
they  denominated  Clinton  Hall,  assumed  the  name  of  the  Clinton  Hall 
Association,  and  entered  into  articles  of  agreement  with  the  Mercantile 
Library  Association  to  grant  them,  under  certain  conditions,  the  free  use 
of  such  apartments  of  the  building  as  were  necessary  for  the  library,  read- 
ing-room, and  the  meetings  and  lectures  of  the  institution, 

Since  its  connection  with  the  Clinton  Hall  Association,  the  library  has 
rapidly  increased.  The  present  number  of  volumes  is  nearly  thirty  thou- 
sand. The  society  consists  of  about  three  thousand  members,  and  its  in- 
come exceeds  $6 ,000  per  annum. f  In  addition  to  the  library  and  reading- 
room,  the  association  possesses  a  cabinet,  containing  many  choice  speci- 
mens in  the  various  departments  of  natural  history.  The  privileges  of 
this  institution  are  open  to  clerk?\for  a  small  initiation  fee  and  annual 
payment.  Others,  if  approved  by  the  Board  of  Direction,  are  allowed 
the  use  of  the  library  and  reading-room,  at  an  annual  charge  of  five 
dollars.  J 

*Go>irlie'S  Addross. 

t  Twenty-seventh  Ann.  Rep.  of  Board  of  Dir.  of  Mer.  Lib.  Assoc. 
;  jConstit.  of  Mer.  Lib.  Assoc,  as  amendedJ an.  1847. 


114  LITERATURE,  SCIENCE,  AND  TASTE. 

Soc.  of  Mec's  and  Tradesmen. — Am.  Institute. — Mec's  Institute. 

The  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen,  established  in 
1790,  occupy  the  building  No.  32  Crosby-street,  containing  the  male  and 
female  schools  of  the  society,  the  "  Apprentices  Library,"  and  a  spacious 
lecture  room.  The  library  was  established  in  1820,  for  the  benefit  of  ap- 
prentices, who,  on  certain  conditions,  are  allowed  the  gratuitous  use  of 
boolcs.  The  number  of  volumes  now  exceeds  15,000.  Tlie  entrance  to 
the  lecture  room,  called  "  Mechanics'  Hall,"  and  to  the  female  school,  is 
No.  472  Broadway,  while  the  entrance  to  the  library  and  the  male  school 
is  from  Crosby-street. 


The  Scientific  Institutions  of  New- York  are  numerous. 

The  American  Institute  of  the  City  of  New- York  was  incorpo- 
rated May  2,  1829,  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  and  promoting  do- 
mestic industry  in  agriculture,  conunerce,  manufactures  and  the  arts.*  It 
has  held  twenty-one  annual  fairs,  at  wliich  numerous  varieties  of  choice 
productions,  in  every  department  of  art  and  agriculture,  have  been  ex- 
hibited, and  large  amounts  bestowed  in  awards  to  successful  competitors. 
The  Institute  possesses  a  library,  containing  7000  volumes  and  most  of 
the  important  periodicals  of  Europe  and  America,  which  is  open  to  the 
public  free  of  charge.  Under  its  auspices,  the  meetings  of  the  Farmers' 
Club  are  held  twice  in  each  month,  the  object  of  which  is  the  discussion 
of  important  questions  connected  with  agricultural  pursuits,  and  to  which 
the  public  are  allowed  gratuitous  admission. t 

The  members  of  the  institute,  numbering  about  1200,  are  scattered  over 
the  Union.  Fifteen  dollars  is  the  fee  for  life-membership.  The  office  is 
temporarily  located  at  No.  333  Broadway,  corner  of  Anthony-street:  but 
the  managers  intend  to  erect  a  suitable  building  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  Institute,  containing  a  repository  for  models  and  inventions,  and  lec- 
ture, library  and  reading  rooms,  as  soon  as  the  necessary  funds  can  be 
procured. 

The  Mechanics'  Institute  of  the  City  of  New- York,  at  present 
located  in  the  basement  rooms  of  the  City  Hall,  was  incorporated  April 
24,1833.  Its  object  is  the  diffnsion  of  useful  knowledge,  by  the  found- 
ing of  a  library  and  museum,  and  the  establishment  of  annual  courses  of 
lectures  on  various  subjects  connected  with  the  physical  sciences,  and  day 
and  evening  schools  and  classes  for  the  instruction  of  youths  of  both  sexes.} 

The  library  contains  about  three  thousand  volumes.     A  large  collection 

*  Charter  of  Am.  Inst. 

t  Memorial  of  Am.  Inst,  to  hoq;.  of  N.  Y.rnb'd  1816. 

\  Charter  of  the  Mechanics'  Institute  of  City  of  N.  Y. 


LITERATURE,    SCIENCE,    AND    TASTE.  115 

Lyceum  of  Natural  History.— Ethnological  Society. 

of  minerals,  many  useful  and  interesting  models  of  machinery,  and 
suitable  apparatus  for  instruction,  are  also  the  property  of  the  institution. 
Its  schools  are  located  at  12  Chambers-street.  The  number  of  pupils  in 
the  schools  is  about  three  hundred,  who  are  instructed  in  all  the  English 
branches  of  education  and  the  classics,  as  well  as  the  ornamental  branches 
of  painting,  drawing  and  music.  Any  respectable  person  in  the  com- 
munity, by  the  payment  of  an  initiation  fee  of  one  dollar,  and  an  annual 
charge  of  two  dollars,  may  become  a  member  of  the  institution.  He  is 
then  entitled  to  the  free  use  of  the  library  and  reading  room,  tickets  for 
himself  and  family  to  all  lectures  and  exhibitions,  and  discounts  in  the 
charges  of  the  schools  and  classes.  A  payment  of  twenty-five  dollars 
constitutes  a  life-member. 

The  Lyceum  of  Natural  Htstoky  in  the  City  of  New-York,  located 
in  the  Medical  College  of  the  University,  No.  659  Broadway,  was  incor- 
porated April  20,  1SJ8,  for  promoting  the  progress  of  those  departments 
of  science  indicated  by  its  title,*  and  has  steadily  pursued  its  objects  with 
success.  It  possesses  a  large  library  and  extensive  collections.  The  ani- 
mals, birds,  fishes,  reptiles,  minerals,  shells  and  fossils,  many  of  which 
are  rare  and  to  be  found  in  no  other  collection,  are  arranged  for  gratuitous 
exhibition.  Four  volumes  descriptive  of  new  discoveries  have  been  pub- 
lished. The  society  is  in  correspondence  with  similar  societies  in  Euroi:)e 
and  Asia,  and  exchanges  with  them,  and  others,  its  publications;  by  which 
means  the  library  possesses  several  works  not  otherwise  attainable.  Its 
objects  are  the  diffusion  of  a  knowledge  of  Zoology,  Botany,  Mineralogy, 
Geology,  Conchology  and  Paleontology.  The  meetings  are  held  every  Mon- 
day evening,  and  are  open  to  the  public. 

The  New- York  Ethnological  Society  was  founded  November  14, 
1842,  since  which  time  its  meetings  have  been  held,  generally  at  intervals 
of  a  fortnight,  during  the  winter  months  of  each  year.  Its  constitution 
was  adopted  December  7,  1844.  The  objects  of  the  society  comprise  in- 
quiries into  the  origin,  progress,  and  characteristics  of  the  various  races 
of  men. f  Two  volumes  of  "  Transactions,"  consisting  chiefly  of  papers, 
relating  to  the  aboriginal  history  of  America,  have  been  published.  The 
society  possesses  a  small  library  and  collection  of  antiquities,  presented  by 
members  of  the  society  and  others  at  home  and  abroad.  Hon.  Albert 
Gallatin,  LL.  D.,  is  the  President. 


♦  Charter  of  Lye.  of  Nat.  Hist,  in  City  of  N.  Y. 
t  Constit.  of  N.  Y.  Ethnol.  Soc. 


116  LITER AT¥RE,  SCIEXCE,  AND  TASTE. 

National  Academy  of  Design. — American  Art  Union. — Gallery  of  the  Fine  Arts. 

The  principal  Institutioxs  of  the  Fixe  Arts  are  three  in  number. 

The  Natioxal  Academy  of  Design,  located  at  the  corner  of  Leonard- 
street  and  Broadway,  was  instituted  January  19,  1S26.  Its  act  of  in- 
corporation was  received  April  5,  1S2S.  It  was  founded,  and  is  exclu- 
sively governed,  by  professional  artists.  Its  objects  are  the  cultivation  of  a 
taste  for  the  arts  of  design  by  an  annual  display  of  the  woiks  of  living 
artists,  and  the  promotion  of  the  interests  of  the  professional  artist,  by 
the  establishment  of  a  legitimate  school  of  design,*  to  the  support  of 
w^hich,  and  the  increase  of  its  library,  the  receipts  annually  arising  from 
the  exhibition,  are  appropriated.  Its  collection  of  models  from  the  An- 
tique is  the  most  compfete  in  the  country,  and  annually  alTords  the  means 
of  academic  study  to  nearly  fifty  students.  Its  Life  School  likewise  offers 
most  ample  facilities  to  the  student.  The  Academy  has  doubtless  greatly 
contributed  to  the  formation  of  the  taste  of  our  present  race  of  artists. 

The  American  Art-Union  was  incorporated  for  the  promotion  of  the 
fine  arts  May  7,  1S40.  The  original  name  was  "The  Apollo  Associa- 
tion," which  was  changed,  by  legislative  enactment,  on  the  20th  of 
January,  1844,  to  its  present  title.  The  affairs  of  this  institution  are 
conducted  by  a  committee  of  twenty-one  persons,  chosen  annually  by  the 
members,  who  receive  no  compensation  for  their  services. f  Every  sub- 
scriber of  five  dollars  is  a  member  of  the  Art-Union  for  the  year.  The 
funds  are  devoted  to  the  execution  of  costly  engravings,  and  the  purchase 
of  valuable  works  of  art,  which,  after  being  exhibited  at  a  picture  gallery 
belonging  to  the  institution.  No.  497  Broadway,  are  distributed  among  the 
members.}:  The  gallery  of  the  Art-Union  is  free  and  open  to  all,  and  this 
constitutes  one  of  its  noblest  features.  It  is  confidently  believed  that  in 
no  other  city  is  there  a  gallery  so  large,  and  containing  among  its  works 
so  many  beautiful  and  costly  paintings,  where  the  humblest  citizen  is  not 
debarred  from  entrance,  either  by  fee  or  forced  gratuity,  or  compelled  to 
resort  to  menial  application  to  some  noble  director  or  titled  patron  for 
admission.  Here,  however,  all  are  welcomed  without  reference  to  caste. 
The  neediest  child  of  labor  and  the  proudest  favorite  of  fortune  stand 
side  by  side.  An  institution,  so  free  in  its  benefits,  cannot  fail  to  exert 
an  elevating  influence  on  the  taste  of  the  community. 

The  New- York  Galt.ery  of  the  Fixe  Arts  was  founded  in  1S44, 
for  the  purpose  of  establishing  in  the  city  of  New- York  a  permanent  col- 
lection of  paintings,  statu  iry,   and  other  works   of  art.§      It    received  its 

»  Constit.  of  Vat.  Acad,  of  Dosi;r„,  ' 

t  Charter  and  Constit.  of  Am.  .Vrt-Union. 
J  Bulletin  of  .\m  Art-Union.  Sopt..  18JS. 
^  Constit.  of  N.  Y.  Gallery  of  Fine  Arts. 


LITERATURE,    SCIENCE,    AND    TASTE. 


117 


Newspapers. 


charter  in  the  following  year.  The  first  act  of  the  association  was  to  pur- 
chase the  gallery  of  the  late  Luman  Reed,  Esq.  The  institution  now 
possesses  about  one  hundred  valuable  paintings,  including  many  from  the 
pencils  of  Cole  and  Durand,*  with  several  fine  pieces  of  statuary  and  en- 
gravings. Until  recently,  the  gallery  has  occupied  the  Rotunda  in  the 
Park,  but,  through  some  misunderstanding  with  the  city  authorities,  has 
been  obliged  to  relinquish  the  use  of  this  building.  As  soon  as  a  suitable 
location  can  be  procured,  it  will  be  re-opened  for  exhibition. 


In  the  departments  of  literature  and  science,  and,  to  some  extent,  in 
that  of  the  fine  arts,  New- York  is  supplied  with  ably-conducted  journals. 
The  American  (Whig)  and  the  Democratic  Reviews  are  considered  the 
great  exponents  of  the  principles  of  the  two  political  parties  into 
which  our  nation  is  divided.  Hunt's  Merchants'  Magazine  is  the  great 
chronicle  of  commercial  events.  The  Knickerbocker  Magazine  is  not  sur- 
passed as  a  literary  journal.  But  our  limits  will  not  permit  us  to  notice 
the  many  weekly  and  monthly  journals  published  in  this  city,  and  we 
shall  dismiss  the  subject  by  merely  appending  a  list  of  the 

DAILY  PAPERS  OF  NEW- YORK. 


Name  of  Paper. 

Proprietors. 

Location  of  Office. 

Eveninj;  JNJirror, 

H.  Full.;r, 

lt)5  Nas.sau,  c.  of  Ann-street. 

Evenin<r  Post, 

VV^  C.  Bryant  <fc  Co., 

18  Nas.sau-street. 

Morni  M','  Courier  (fc  N.  Y.  En. 

.lames  Watson  Webb, 

70  Wail-street. 

Alornins'  Star, 

Williams,  Brotiiers, 

102  Nassau,  c.  of  Ann-street. 

N.  Y.  Commercial  AdvRrtiser. 

Francis  Hall  &,  Co., 

48  Pine,  c.  of  Williaiu-itrect. 

New-York  Daily  Globe, 

Casper  C.  Cliilds, 

164  Nas.«au-street. 

Nnw-York  Express, 

Townsond  &  Brooks, 

•20  Wall.  c.  Nassau-st. 

New-York  Herald, 

James  Gortlon  Bennett, 

125  Fnlloii,  c.  of  Nassau-st. 

N.  Y.  .loiinial  of  Cotnnierce, 

Gerard  Hsllock, 

91  W"all,  c.  of  Water-street 

New-York  Tribune, 

Greelev  &  -McEirath, 

l.o4  Nassau,  c.  of  Spruce-st. 

Sun, 

M.  S.  Beach  &.  A.  E.  Beach, 

124  Fulton,  c.  of  Nassau-st. 

True  Sun, 

iGallagher  &  Kettell, 

1G2  Nassau-street. 

♦  Catal.  of  N.  Y.  Gallery  of  F.  Arts. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


ENTERTAINMENT  AND  AMUSEMENT. 

Many  that  had  not  perused  our  previous  pages,  would  doubtless  expect 
to  find  this  chapter  principally  devoted  to  the  temples  of  the  drama.  But, 
if  in  the  brief  space  allotted  to  this  subject,  we  do  not  succeed  in  con- 
vincing reflecting  minds  that  in  New- York  are  to  be  found  numerous 
sources  of  more  rational  entertainment  than  theatrical  representations,  as 
here  conducted,  we  shall  fall  short  of  our  wishes.  Passing  over  the  literary 
and  scientific  lectures  and  discussions  of  various  associations,  to  which 
allusion  has  already  been  made,  we  shall  briefly  mention  those  places  of 
exhibition  on  which,  without  assuming  the  responsibility  of  pronouncing 
them  devoid  of  every  objeciionable  feature,  the  charge  of  immorality  can- 
not rest,  those  objects  of  interest  peculiar  to  a  large  city  which  are  most 
gratifying  to  the  stranger,  and  those  excursions  to  places  in  the  vicinity 
that  are  desiderata  with  those  who  seek  for  purer  air  and  more  refreshing 
scenes  than  a  crowded  metropolis  aflbrds. 

Of  all  institutions  of  the  kind  on  the  continent,  the  American  Museum 
of  New- York  is  the  most  popular.  It  was  founded  in  ISIO  by  the  late 
John  Scudder,  Esq.,  but  owes  its  high  position  in  pubUc  esteem  to  the 
management  of  its  present  proprietor,  Phineas  T.  Barnum,  Esq.,  who  pur- 
chased the  establishment  in  1S42.  The  Museum  was  fitted  up  in  the 
beautiful  marble  edifice,  which  it  now  occupies,  on  the  corner  of  Broad- 
way and  Ann-street,  in  1S35.  Peale's  Museum,  established  in  1S25, 
and  for  many  years  a  leading  object  of  interest  in  the  city,  has  been  re- 
cently purchased  by  Mr.  Barnum  and  added  to  his  former  collections. 
The  American  Museum  is  now  supplied  with  the  most  novel  curiosities 
and  numerous  and  valuable  specimens  in  every  department  of  art  and 
natural  history.  A  lecture  room  is  connected  with  the  establishment, 
where  coacerts,  philosophical  experiments,  and  a  variety  of  entertain- 
ments, are  given. 

Castle  Garden,  formerly  called  Castle  Clinton,  is  situated  on  a  mound 
of  earth,  in  front  of  the  Battery,  from  which  it  is  approached  by  a  bridge. 


ENTERTAINMENT  AND  AMUSEMENT.  119 

Exhibitions. — Objects  of  Interest. 

It  was  erected  by  the  general  government  in  1807,  but,  after  the  estab- 
lishment of  more  efficient  defences  in  the  harbor,  was  ceded,  in  1822,  to 
the  city.  Two  years  alter,  it  was  leased  to  private  individuals,  and  con- 
verted into  a  place  of  amusement.  Exhibitions  of  fireworks,  concerts, 
and  other  entertainments,  are  frequently  given,  but  the  promenade  is  con- 
stantly open  to  visitors,  who  pay  a  small  charge  for  refreshinents. 

The  North  American  Museum,  on  the  corner  of  the  Bowery  and 
Division-street,  is  devoted  to  the  exhibition  of  anatomical  preparations. 

Exhibitions  of  Paintings  are  numerous  in  New-York.  The  gallery 
of  the  American  Art-Union,*  and  the  New-York  Gallery  of  the  Fine 
Arts,f  are  open  throughout  the  year.  The  exhibition  of  the  National 
Academy  of  Design^  is  continued  during  about  three  months  in  the  sprmg 
and  early  summer.  The  Lyceum  Gallery,  at  No.  563  Broadway,  con- 
taining original  paintings  of  the  old  masters,  and  the  gallery  of  Goupil, 
Vibert&  Co.,  at  No.  2S9  Broadway,  containing  works  of  European  art, 
are  worthy  of  attention. 

The  Fair  of  the  American  Institute§  occupies  several  weeks  in  the  au- 
tumn. The  repository  of  the  Institute,  and  the  collections  of  the  Lyceum 
of  Natural  History||  and  other  scientific  associations,  are  open  to  the 
public.  Visitors  are  likewise  gratuitously  admitted  to  the  Institutions  for 
the  BlindU  and  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,**  and  the  various  Orphan  Asylums. ff 
The  two  former  institutions  give  public  exhibitions  of  the  attainments  of 
the  pupils  during  the  anniversary  week,  in  the  month  of  May  of  each 
year. 

In  addition  to  the  stated  places  of  entertainment  and  amusement,  tran- 
sient exhibitions  and  concerts  are  continually  given.  All  the  great  artistes 
of  Europe  make  their  first  appearance  in  America  before  a  New- York 
audience.  The  most  gveedy  votary  of  amusement  can  ordinarily  find,  in 
the  columns  of  the  daily  papers,  a  sufficient  number  of  announcements 
to  furnish  him  the  means  of  a  selection  suited  to  his  tastes. 

But  the  seeker  after  novelty  is  not  confined  to  the  halls  of  amu.?ement. 
The  stranger  will  pause  to  survey  the  beautiful  specimens  of  architecture 
that  often  meet  his  gaze.  The  lofty  spires  of  Trinity  and  St.  Paurs,JJ  the 
classic  beauty  of  the  City  Hall,§§  the  symmetry  of  the  Custom  House,|||| 
the  massive  grandeur  of  the  Merchants'  Exchange,1;1[  will  alike  command 
his  admiration.  But  the  external  view  of  the  temples  of  the  money 
changers  will  not  satisfy  him ;  he  will  cross  the  thresholds  to  witness  the 
sccnp=!  acted  in  these  enclosures  of  costly  maprnificence. 

♦  Vide  p.  116.  cjifc.     +  P.  116.     +  P.  116.     ^  P.  114.     ||P.  115. 

IT  Vide  p.  96.     For  admission   into  tiiis  institution,   it  is  necessary  to  present  tickets, 
which  can  be  gratuitously  procured  of  anv  of  the  managers. 

**  Vide  p.  94.    tt  Pi*-  98,  99.    \l  Pp.  80,  81.     ^§  P.  47.    l.il  P.  64.    HIT  P.  62. 


120  ENTERTAINMENT    AND    AMUSEMENT. 

Environs  of  New-York. 

The  forests  of  sliipping  on  both  the  rivers  will  not  escape  his  attention. 
The  ocean  steamers,  and  those  aquatic  palaces  that  float  on  our  own 
waters,  will  convince  him  of  the  high  attainments  of  the  present  age  in 
naval  architecture;  and  he  will  desire  to  visit  the  ship-yards,  and  those 
establishments,  llir  more  extensive  than  the  forges  of  Vulcan,  where  iron 
becomes  obedient  to  the  will  of  man,  and  is  transformed  into  the  pro- 
pelling power  of  these  immense  vehicles  of  travel. 

In  fine,  whether  he  wander  along  the  docks,  or  perambulate  the  streets  ; 
whether  he  attend  the  tribunals  of  justice,*  or  visit  the  inmates  of  "  the 
Tombs  ;"t  whether  he  inspect  the  interior  arrangements  of  the  gas 
works, J  or  stand  enchanted  before  the  gushing  waters  of  the  fountains  ;§ 
whether  he  stroll  through  the  public  promenades, ||  or  view  from  the  Bat- 
terylT  the  expanj^ive  bay,  with  its  picturesque  shores  and  island? ;  he  can- 
not fail  to  discover  objects  that  fill  him  with  wonder  and  delight. 

But  these  scenes  are  comparatively  devoid  of  interest  to  the  citizen.  He 
will  seek  those  attractions  that  lie  beyond  the  crowded  city. 

The   upper   portion  of  the  island   furnishes   a  field  for  many  pleasing 
EXCURSIONS.     The  villages  of  Harlem,  Blooiningdale  and  Manhattanville, 
the  Croton  reservoirs,**  and  the  lofty  aqueduct  bridge,  are  often  visited. 
Nor  is  either  river  crossed  in  vain.     The  shores  of  New-Jersey  present  the 
villages  of  Fort   Lee,  Weehawken  and    Hoboken  ;  the  first  distinguished 
for  that  exhibition  of  nature's  grandeur,   "the  palisades;"  the  last,  for  its 
"Sybil's    Cave"    and    "  Elysian    Fields;"  while,  to  the    south,  rise    the 
spires  of  Jersey  City  and  the  hills  of  Bergen.     Brooklyn  and  Williamsburg, 
with  the  numerous  villages  of  Long  Island,  are  not  wanting  in  interest. 
The  higlits  of  Brooklyn,  and  its  shady  streets,  are  the  scene  of  many  a 
pleasing  ramble;  and  the  Navy  Yard,  with  its  valuable  Lyceum,  the  im- 
provements of  the   Atlantic    Dock  Company,|f  and   the    Cemeteries    of 
Greenwood  and  the  Cypress  Hills, J]:  add   to  the  attractions  of  its  vicinity 
But  those  who  take  delight  in  excursions  upon  the  water,  seek  the  pic- 
turesque villages  of  Siaten  Island,  and  the  bathing  resorts  of  Coney  Island, 
or  visit  the  fortifications  of  the  harbor,§§  never  cloyed  with   the  beauties 
continually  opening  to  their  view,  as  they  glide  along  the   bosom  of  that 
magnificent  bay,  whose  waters,  under  a  brilliant  sun,  have  been  com- 
pared, by  a  European  traveler,  to  "  waves  of  liquid  gold." 

*  Vide  pp.  47—49.     f   P-  49.     f  Pp.  42,  43.     §  Pp.  31—33,     11  Pp.  30-34.     UP.  31 
*♦  P.  37.     tt  P.  71.     tt  Pp.  84,  85.    §§  P.  27. 


NEW-YOUK  — THE   FUTURE. 


*'  Westward  the  Star  of  Empire  takes  its  way." 


Berkeley. 


FUTURE  GROWTH  OF  NEW-YORK. 

To  penetrate  the  arcana  of  the  future,  is  impossible.  An  estimate,  even, 
of  the  effects  of  known  and  existing  causes,  is  more  or  less  hypothetical. 
But,  although  we  cannot  attain  to  certainty  in  such  speculations,  yet  the 
data  on  which  our  calculations  are  founded,  may  be  of  sucli  a  characte-, 
as  to  elevate  them  far  above  the  level  of  mere  conjecture. 

The  principles  that  involve  the  future  increase  of  New- York,  are  com- 
plex. Whenever  the  tide  of  prosperity  sets  toward  a  city  or  a  country, 
each  channel  of  wealth  and  power  becomes  the  uniting  force  of  tributary 
streams,  each,  in  its  turn,  with  its  subordinate  branches,  constituting  a 
principle  of  efficacy  in  the  onward  march.  The  forces  that  have  con- 
tributed to  the  past  progress  of  New- York,  and  the  resources  that  are 
not  yet  fully  developed,  will  impart  efficiency  to  powers  at  present  un- 
appreciated or  unknown.  Wherever  there  are  accumulations  of  men  and 
of  property,  new  channels  of  human  industry  are  continually  opened,  and 
new  methods  of  employing  capital  to  advantage  are  devised  But,  as  an 
approximation  of  the  value  of  principles  which  have  not  been  tested  by 
experience,  is  impossible,  and  as  their  very  existence  is  affected  by  con- 
tingencies which  come  not  within  the  bounds  of  human  foresight,  it  is 
prudent  to  discard  all  consideration  of  them  in  calculations  like  the 
present.  When,  too,  the  subjects  of  inquiry  have  been  the  objects  of  ob- 
servation and  experience,  the  estimates  founded  upon  such  researches, 
cannot  be  denounced  as  extravagant.  In  the  past,  then,  are  we  to  look 
for  the  elements  of  the  future  growth  of  this  metropolis. 

The  prosperity  of  New- York  is  to  be  traced  to  commercial  interests. 
Foreign  commerce  furnished  the  original,  and,  for  a  long  period,  the 
principal  employment  of  its  inhabitants.  The  salubrity  of  its  climate,  its 
relative  position,  the  superiority  of  its  water  communications,  the  excel- 
lence of  its  harbor,  alike  rendered  it  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  purposes 
of  trade.  But,  to  become  the  emporium  of  the  continent,  it  was  neces- 
sary that  domestic  commerce  should  be  associated  with  foreign  traffic.  The 
improvements  of  art  were  added   to  the  gifts  of  nature.     The  system  of 


^24  FUTURE    GROWTH    OP    NEW    YORK. 


Numerical  Estimates. 


canal -navigation  was  devised,  and  channels  of  communication  opened 
into  the  heart  of  the  continent :  and  now  the  invention  of  railroads  is 
bringing  New- York  into  direct  connection  with  every  part  of  the  land. 
The  influence  of  these,  and  of  other  new  facilities,  has  not  yet  been  fully 
experienced.  They  are  adduced,  not  as  elements  of  prosperity  to  enter 
into  our  estimate,  but  as  the  proof  that  the  commercial  interests  of  New- 
York  are,  by  no  means,  on  the  decline,  and  that  its  past  progress  may  be 
safely  regarded  as  a  measure  of  its  future  increase. 

In  all  comparisons  of  the  present  condition  of  New- York  with  the  past, 
it  has  been  usual  to  limit  the  survey  to  the  period  since  1790,  the  country 
not  having  assumed  a  settled  state  imtil  the  adoption  of  the  federal  consti- 
tution. By  reference  to  a  former  part  of  this  work,  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  rate  of  increase  in  the  population  of  New-York  from  1790  to  1800  was 
S.25  per  cent.  ;  from  1800  to  1810,  5.93  per  cent.  ;  to  1820,  2.83  per  cent.; 
to  1830, 6.37  per  cent. ;  to  1840,  5.44  per  cent. ;  and  to  1845,  3.73  per  cent. 
The  average  is  5.42  per  cent,,  according  to  which  the  population  would 
double  in  about  eighteen  years.  By  this  calculation,  the  number  of  in- 
habitants in  18G3  will  be  742,446  ;  in  1881,  1,484,892  ;  and,  if  circum- 
stances would  allow  us  to  continue  the  calculation  for  another  period  of 
eighteen  years,  in  1899,  2,969,784.  But  the  island  will  not  furnish  ade- 
quate room  for  two  millions  of  inhabitants  ;  and,  unless  the  adjacent 
places  be  annexed  to  the  city,  its  growth  must  forever  cease  before  reach- 
ing that  number.  It  may,  however,  from  the  peculiar  position  of  New- 
York,  be  highly  proper,  in  considerations  of  this  character,  to  regard  the 
vicinity  as  a  portion  of  the  city.  If  we  take  this  view  of  the  case,  we 
shall  find  that  the  population  has  increased  at  a  faster  rate  than  would 
appear  from  the  above  calculations.  Brooklyn  and  the  neighboring 
places  contain  100,000  inhabitants,  nearly  all  of  which  are  the  accessions 
of  the   last  twenty  years. 

No  one  can  be  so  visionary  as  to  suppose  that  the  present  rate  of  in- 
crease can  continue  for  a  long  period.  Should  there  be  no  decline  in  that 
rapidity  of  progress  which  New-York  has  maintained  for  sixty  years,  its 
inhabitants  would,  at  the  end  of  two  centuries,  exceed  in  number  the 
present  population  of  the  globe.  The  metropolis,  though  operated  upon, 
in  some  measure,  by  independent  influences,  will  sirare  the  fortunes  of  the 
country.  The  extent  and  importance  of  the  territory  to  which  its  com- 
merce is  tributary,  must  be  a  measure  of  its  own  magnitude.  Immigra- 
tion, the  great  cause  of  the  growth  of  the  country,  must  decrease,  when 
the  surplus  population  of  other  lands  have  reached  our  shores.  A  portion 
of  our  present  and  future  population,  will  seek  the  regions  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  and  large  cities  will  doubtless  spring  into  existence  on 


FUTURE    GROWTH    OF    NEW-YORK.  125 

Numerical  Estimates. 

the  Pacific  coast.  The  natural  increase  of  population,  and  the  accessions 
from  abroad,  cannot  long  supply  New- York  with  the  elements  of  a  growth 
proportioned  to  that  of  the  past.  All  will  admit  that  soon  the  rate  of  in- 
crease must  diminish.  The  only  question  is,  when  will  this  decline  com- 
mence. 

In  our  former  estimate,  we  have  supposed  the  city  to^  continue  in  the 
present  current  of  prosperity  for  thirty-six  years.  To  be  still  more  mo- 
derate in  our  calculations,  we  will  allow  an  immediate  gradual  decline  in 
the  ratio.  Assuming  the  population  at  the  next  census  (1850)  to  be 
440,455,  which  would  be  the  result  of  the  rate  of  increase  of  the  previous 
five  years,  we  will  suppose  a  decline,  from  that  date,  in  the  average  an- 
nual rate  of  increase,  of  one  half  of  one  per  cent,  every  ten  years.  By  this 
estimate,  the  population  in  1560  would  amount  to  657,161  ;  in  1870,  to 
947,631  ;  in  1880,  to  1,319,105  ;  in  1890,  to  1,770,239  ;  and  in  1900,  to 
2,287,157.  All  consideration  of  the  growth  of  the  adjacent  places,  is 
here  discarded.  By  either  estimate,  New- York  and  its  vicinity,  at  the 
close  of  the  nineteenth  century,  will  contain  nearly  three  millions  of  souls. 

In  these  speculations,  we  have  not  considered  the  possibility  of  any  re- 
verse, consequent  upon  unforeseen  circumstances,  in  the  fortunes  of  New- 
York.  Cities,  as  well  as  empires,  after  a  successful  rise  and  a  period  of 
glory,  are  destroyed  by  some  convulsion,  or  gradually  sink  to  decay.  We 
have  therefore  confined  our  estimates  to  a  period  within  which  New-York 
seems  as  free  from  such  dangers  as  human  foresight  can  conceive.  If 
her  foreign  commerce  should  be  crippled  or  destroyed  by  war,  her  internal 
trade  and  other  resources  would  be  means  of  preservation  and  prosperity. 
If  the  ravages  of  pestilence  or  of  fire  should  desolate  her  borders,  new 
population  and  capital  would  at  once  cover  the  breach.  If  civil  commo- 
tions should  rend  the  great  American  confederacy  into  separate  republics, 
she  is  too  powerful  to  fear  dissolution  in  the  conflict,  and  would  still  be 
the  great  metropolis  of  the  continent.  And  she  is  too  near  the  infancy  of 
her  growth,  to  experience,  within  the  period  of  our  estimates,  the  decline 
common  to  all  cities  and  nations.  Whatever  may  be  her  lot  in  future 
ages,  New-York  is  doubtless  destined  to  become  the  commercial  emporium 
of  the  world. 


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